A Hero's Rise
by tigerbear3
Summary: The three Ame orphans travel back to Konoha with Jiraiya. There, they join the Shinobi forces with the dream of recapturing their homeland. This is the story of Yahiko's rise from an outcast to a war hero and legendary ninja. Eventual romance, YahiKonan, NagatoxOC, MinatoxKushina (as an aside)
1. Chapter 1

**A Hero's Tale**

Yahiko watched the long mane of white hair bob away from him. He felt a deep sense of sorrow to watch a man he had come to call his father walk away from him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see his red-haired companion Nagato, for once in better control of himself than Yahiko. Yahiko looked to his left to see his other friend, downcast, only her vivid blue hair looking toward him. He took a deep breath.

"Sensei!"

Jiraiya stopped, and looked back in puzzlement, as the boy ran up to him. "Sensei, please take us back with you!" exclaimed Yahiko, bowing his head and clasping his hands in front of him. "We have nowhere to go, this land has nothing for us. We'd love to have a fresh start in a new land. Not only that, but.." he hesitated

"You're the only one we have to call Father," finished Nagato in a low voice, walking up to Yahiko and, likewise, bowing his head. Konan joined the boys and simply nodded in agreement.

Jiraiya stared, surprised at the trio's humility, particularly Yahiko, known for being boisterous and proud. Then he smiled. "Trust me, guys, I'd like nothing more than to bring you back with me. But migrating to a foreign land, particularly a military state like Konoha, hoping to join the shinobi forces… There's a very good chance you won't be accepted by the people."

"Then screw the people!" Yahiko shouted, eyes glistening with tears but hard with determination. "Even if they think we're outsiders, we'll MAKE them see us for who we are, and we'll show them all that we're the best there is."

"Mm, yeah, that's right!" Konan, finding her voice, sided with the groups 'leader'. Nagato smiled politely. "I'm sorry Sensei, but you aren't going to be able to get rid of us that easily."

Jiraiya, taken aback, was at a loss for words. Then he smiled. 'This kid,' he thought, 'so young and yet can get people to rally behind him. He'll be something, that's for sure.'

"Alright, kids!" the Sannin announced. "You're officially part of my travel luggage."

The trio's faces broke out into wide grins, "You really mean it Sensei?"

"Yeah, sure. If anyone questions, I'll just say I brought back some priceless souvenirs. After all," he said, ruffling Nagato and Yahiko's hair affectionately, "you three were trained by a Sannin. And not just any, but THE Sannin. No doubt you'll become the best ninja in the whole village." And he meant it. He laughed as the happy cheers rose towards the skies.

"Prepare yourselves. The journey to the village is a long and tiring one. But you'll have to get used to it if you want to be ninja."

"I can handle anything," stated Yahiko, ever eager to prove himself. "Watch!" and he scampered on ahead. Nagato and Konan walked calmly.

Nagato eyed Konan, who was looking around her. "Are you going to miss this land?"

Konan looked down at her hands. She gazed at the origami flower she had made as a goodbye gift for their Sensei, which now she guessed would be more of a thank-you present. "Not really, this land is desolate, there's nothing for me here. But.." She looked up into her friend's red eyes. "This is where we first met. You, me, and Yahiko… where we became friends. And even though this land is a miserable old place, I'll miss the times we had together." Nagato smiled and embraced his foster-sister. "No need to worry, Konan. We'll still be together. And you'll always have me and Yahiko to rely on."

Konan smiled up at him.

A couple of hours later, the traveling party caught up with Yahiko, who in his excitement had overdone it, and now lay panting and spent on the path. "Hehe, you never learn, kid, do you?" chuckled Jiraiya. "You could do with some stamina training, just look at these two… uh…" He looked in exasperation as Nagato and Konan stood doubled over, hands on their knees, panting and completely out of breath. "Sensei… can we stop now…" asked Nagato in a groggy voice. Jiraiya facepalmed. "Really, what am I going to do with you. Want to be the best ninja and you can't even make a small journey without resting every few minutes." He sighed, looking up at the sky. "Oh well, can't be helped. It's getting dark anyway. Yahiko!" He barked. "Move your lazy ass! Help me set up these tents!" Yahiko scrambled to his feet and saluted. "Yes Sensei!"

Nagato lay staring up at the cloth ceiling of his tent, hands behind his head. He could hear the fire crackling and the crickets chirping. He tried to sleep, but his heart and mind were racing with nervousness and excitement. Konoha? What would their Sensei's home country be like, he wondered. Were the people nice? How was the food? How were the ninja? He hoped they wouldn't get into troubled. He frowned as immediately after that thought, a certain orange-haired rascal popped into his head. So much for that thought.

He was startled by a "Psst!" and looked around to see said orange-haired rascal climbing into his tent. "Yo Nagato, you up?" Yahiko whispered, noisily clambering down to sit next to Nagato's sleeping bag. "Sssh! You'll wake Sensei and Konan!" hissed Nagato.

"Simmer down, willya? I just wanted to chat."

Nagato looked back at his friend sternly. "Now is not the time."

"You were thinking about Konoha weren't you?" said Yahiko abruptly, surprising the stern expression off Nagato's face. His friend certainly knew him well. He sighed and lay back onto his pillow. "Yeah.. what do you think it'll be like?"

"I imagine it to be this big place full of powerful Shinobi, full of great restaurants, hotspots and beautiful women." He sighed, snorting slightly, a perverted look crossing his face. "Ah the city life! I bet Sensei could introduce me to a lot of hot women. After all, he's iraiya of the Sannin! I bet the chicks just fawn over him!"

"Yahiko.." Nagato cautioned, but there was no stopping the exuberant Yahiko's train of thought.

"Oh yeah, its gonna be awesome! I wonder what it'd be like to have a girlfriend! I could do all sorts of stuff with her… first kiss, first love, first.. other things.." Yahiko was almost cackling, a small hint of blood just visible under his nose, unaware of the monster creeping up to him.

"Yahiko!" warned Nagato more urgently.

"Yeah, I'll be a heartbreaker! You just watch, the ladies will be dying for a piece of me. "Oh Yahiko-san"" he began to mimic a high-pitched girly voice, a supposedly rosy-cheeked and smitten feminine look on his face." Please notice me Yahiko-san! Please come to me! Please let me service your…"

A vein popped.

*SMASH* and Yahiko lay on the ground, seeing stars dance around his head. Above him stood blue-haired Konan, cracking her knuckles. "Say another word, I dare you!" A demonic look in her eyes. Nagato, laughed nervously. _Well, I did warn him._

After several minutes of profuse apology by a kneeling Yahiko, finally Konan was satisfied and forgave him. She looked at Nagato. "What do YOU think Konoha is like?"

"I don't know… I hope it nice."

"It's gotta be better than that dump, Amegakure. And hey! It doesn't matter where we are, we'll be together. And we'll have Sensei with us." The two orphans looked up at their ringleader, whose eyes were shining bright, fist clenched, looking up toward the heavens. "We'll train, become strong, and one day we'll return and free our homeland from that bastard Hanzou.. and we'll make a place worth living. You, me, Konan.. We'll own this place." He looked at them with fervour. "I'll protect you with my life, because we share the dream. Will you help me?"

Both gazed at him with a mixture or derision and admiration. Nagato looked at his two friends, the only family he had. _No matter what, I will stick by these two._

Yahiko stuck his fist out. Nagato placed his beside it. Konan, hesitantly, followed suit. "We will be Shinobi. We will be heroes."


	2. The Academy

**Chapter 2: Vegetables and the Academy**

It had been two weeks since the Ame orphans had arrived in Konoha. The Hokage, a kind, experienced Shinobi named Hiruzen Sarutobi, had managed to secure an apartment for the three to share. Jiraiya pulled some strings and managed to get the three admitted into the Ninja Academy, just as the new year was starting.

7:30am. The alarm bell rang for the umpteenth time. Konan poked her head out of the bathroom to see Yahiko still asleep, lying on his belly, his shirt riding up, drooling a little and still snoring peacefully. Nagato, by contrast, was just slipping on his sandals and was ready. Konan flung a pillow at Yahiko. "Yo! Get up, lazy bum! School's gonna start in half an hour and we need to leave early so we can find it and be on time."

Yahiko sat up, his eyes still half-closed, grumbling, words slurred. "Mmmannn…whuh.. why do we have to go to school?" Konan sat beside Nagato. "We've never officially received any ninja training, it'd be a good idea. Besides.." she prodded him in the chest. "After all the nice things Jiraiya-sensei and Lord Hokage have done for us the least we can do is abide by their village's rules."

Yahiko rubbed his eyes. He stood up and stretched, yawning, before falling to the floor and shooting off 20 pushups in quick succession. Konan opened the door. "Let's go Nagato."

Nagato nodded. "Right." He turned to Yahiko. "We'll go on a bit ahead. Catch up to us when you're ready. Oh, and please don't be late."

Yahiko, having finished his pushups and started situps, merely grunted in acknowledgement.

30 minutes later Nagato sat next to the window in his classroom. _Where is he?_

"Settle down, everyone." Came a cool command over the noisy class, as a smooth-looking ninja dressed in Konoha's standard flak jacket and blue costume, coupled with dark sunglasses, stepped into the room. "My name is Iruse, I will be your teacher for this year. I can't promise all of you will pass; however I am experienced and qualified, and I will ensure as many of you pass as possible." He smiled kindly. "Roll call; please answer when I call your names."

As he rattled off the names from his register, Konan nudged Nagato and shot him a dirty look, and the redhead knew it was regarding Yahiko. _Where the hell is that guy?_

"…Konan… Kushina… Minato….Nagato…Pinako…Sayuko…Yahiko"

Nagato sighed and raised his hand to inform his teacher of his friend's absence, when Yahiko burst in in the nick of time, out of breath and gasping for air. "Here, Sensei!" he announced with a broad smile on his face. He eyed around the class and, finding Nagato, went to sit down. The teacher stopped him. "Young man, I will not tolerate tardiness in this class. Please be on time."

Yahiko heard whispering in the classroom. He overheard snippets of conversation, and he knew they were talking about him. And it wasn't positive.

"I hear he's the outsider…"

"The Leaf has given him home yet he still acts like he's above us…"

"Who does he think he is, bursting in like that…"

Never one to take insults lying down, Yahiko faced the class openly and loudly challenged, "If anybody's gotta problem with me or my buddies, talk to me like a man. Stop hiding behind your whispers! I dare you to fight me!"

As Yahiko berated the class, Nagato's face steadily turned a shade of red matching his hair and his eyes, while Konan looked around in equal embarrassment. She looked to Nagato, _Stop him now!_

Nagato jumped up, ran to his friend's side and tugged his elbow. "Shut up, Yahiko.." he said in a low voice before turning to face the class, smiling apologetically. "Sorry about him, please don't be offended by anything he says. Actually, we are new to this village and we hope you help us fit in." Flashing another polite smile, he yanked Yahiko up the stairs to his seat.

For the next hour Yahiko endured two earfuls as his friends on either side of him berated his antics.

Finally, it was break time. Relieved to hear the bell, Yahiko pulled out his bag. "Aw man, I'm starving!" He pulled out two crudely made sandwiches and began wolfing them down. Konan wrinkled her nose and looked the other way, just as a pretty young girl walked up to them.

"Excuse me," she said boldly, "but I couldn't help noticing your red hair. Are you by chance an Uzumaki?"

Nagato was surprised. What was an Uzumaki?

"Umm… I don't really know.."

"You are! You must be! I mean… nobody else has hair that red. Except me of course. " the girl tugged her own tomato red hair. "I'm Kushina, who are you?"

"I'm Nagato, this is Konan and that knucklehead is Yahiko."

"You're the new transfers, right? Did you families move to Konoha because of the war in the Hidden Rain?"

Nagato's head drooped. Konan looked at her friend with sympathy. Yahiko swallowed.

"We're orphans." He said, roughly and briefly.

"Oh." And Kushina looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, I didn't know.."

"Forget it" Yahiko said, his voice still rough. Konan squeezed his hand, and he softened. "Tell us about you."

The three chatted for a while, before they were interrupted by a snarky voice. "Hey look, the Habanero's found some friends. Ain't one of them that loudmouth who was barging in like he owned the place?"

They turned to see a gang of about five boys, big and sturdy, standing over them, evil grins on their faces.

"You shut your mouth!" Kushina said fiercely, surprising the three orphans and the bullies.

"So I hear their families were killed in the war. What's it like being all alone, eh, midgets?" the bullies cackled.

Kushina's hands balled into fists. "You shut up right now or I'll knock you flat on your ass!"

"Oh yeah?" one of them leered, bending down to her level. "You and what army?"

Yahiko clocked the bully in the face, sending him spiralling back. "She's got us!"

A timid, blonde boy who had been watching the altercation rose to his feet. He spoke in a low voice, afraid but resolute. "Bullies don't have any place here."

"Heh. Fitting that the Habanero found another chili pepper, but you, carrot-top? You're a joke!" The bully taunted; however, he had heard of Kushina's reputation, and now that she had support, was no longer sure of his numbers' advantage. He backed away. "Tomato-head, chili pepper and carrot-top.. you're just a bunch of vegetables! I could eat you with breakfast!"

But he was backing down. Yahiko raised his fist. "Just try it buddy, we don't go down easy!"

The bully backed away, still muttering insults and provocations. Once the danger was passed, the blonde haired kid walked up to them. "Are you guys alright?"

Kushina snorted. "Of course we're alright, who do you think I am? Come to think of it, who are you?"

"I'm Minato, I was just, uh, I couldn't help but overhear.. you guys are pretty loud.."

"You shouldn't eavesdrop, mister. " an evil look came over Kushina's face. "It might just get you into trouble."

Minato sweatdropped and gulped nervously as Nagato and Konan laughed.

"Don't mind them. I'm Konan, this is Nagato and that's Yahiko. We're new in town, and we don't really know anyone or anything here."

Minato brightened. "Oh, I love to explore! I'd love to take you out some time! I mean…" he backtracked as Konan blushed. ".. I meant… to show you around.. not like on a date…" he laughed nervously.

Konan shyly accepted as Yahiko and Nagato cracked teasing jokes behind her back. Kushina thought, _This Minato guy sure is creepy. He seems nice though. We could be friends, I guess._

And from then on, the group became inseparable, and due to Yahiko, Nagato and Kushina's vivid hair colour and Kushina's matching temper, became notorious as the somewhat-awkwardly named Vegetable Gang.


	3. The Bell Test

**Chapter 3: The Infamous Bell Test**

The Vegetable Gang graduated from the Academy on their first try with flying colours, and were officially made genin. For their three-man squad, Nagato and Konan were teamed with Minato, and placed under the dubious tutelage of the head-in-the-clouds Jiraiya, whereas Yahiko was paired with Kushina and another Academy graduate named Pinako, a blonde haired girl who seemed like a girly-girl but had a lot of hidden potential, being a natural genjutsu type. Kushina and Yahiko being as headstrong as they were got along fine but often fought and argued, however both got along with the mild-mannered Pinako. The gang recruited Pinako and another young graduate, the quick-footed Kosuke, and established their headquarters in an old building near the edge of town. Team 5, Yahiko's team, had not been appointed a Sensei as of yet.

"First mission tomorrow, huh?" Yahiko asked Nagato. They were sitting on a fence on a hill, overlooking the glorious sunset reflected in the river, their legs dangling down. Nagato seemed withdrawn, and Yahiko knew he was nervous.

"Not quite. Sensei said that before we accepted missions he wanted to test us. I wonder why, he's already taught me and Konan before, he's seen what we can do."

"Maybe he thinks Minato's the weak link" Yahiko expressed thoughtfully. Nagato gave him a baleful smile. Both of them knew that while Minato lacked the experience in training they possessed, he was a quick thinker and could definitely hold his own against either of them.

"Well, whatever it is, be sure to impress him! Me and Kushina'll be watching, and I might bring Pinako along too."

"What? Pinako? You're bringing her? I mean… She's coming? She'll be there? Umm… yeah, okay… do what you want I guess… try to bring her though."

Yahiko stared, before bursting into laughter. So Nagato had a little crush, huh? No wonder he blushed furiously whenever Pinako was around. He just figured Uzumakis were naturally very red people. Huh.

"Better prepare well. Don't want to mess up in front of a special _somebody,_ now, do we?" Yahiko swung himself down and smiled sweetly.

"I don't have… she's not a special… huff." Nagato sighed. "Alright. Well, if you're coming to watch our training starts at 10."

"I'll be there," Yahiko promised.

The next morning Team 3 (Nagato's team) stood patiently in the sun, waiting for their Sensei to arrived. Uncharacteristically there wasn't much chatter, as all were nervous. The silence was broken by Minato's stomach grumbling; their Sensei had instructed them not to eat breakfast. He smiled sheepishly as Konan looked up at him.

"Yo!" came a jovial voice, and Jiraiya appeared in front of them as if by magic. "Glad to see you're all on time! Let's get started right away, shall we?"

"Hey, Jiraiya-Sensei!' Jiraiya was interrupted by a boisterous voice, he looked around to see Yahiko and Kushina making their way over to him, along with a shy, pretty young girl he didn't know. "Well, what's your name miss?"

"She's Pinako, and Sensei.." Yahiko glared "She's a little young for you."

"What? How dare you? I would never…" Huffing and puffing, Jiraiya looked away. "If you three would just shut up and go sit over there by those posts, that would be great."

"Now then," he announced, rounding onto Team 3. "The training. I have here with me.." he reached into his pocket and pulled out two jingling bells tied to ropes, 'two bells. I'm going to tie them to my belt, like so. Your mission is to get these two bells from me, one per person. You have until lunchtime to do so, and…"

"Hey Sensei! I think you left one at home" called out Yahiko obnoxiously.

A vein popped. "Shut up, you little squirt! My own sensei taught me this way and I turned out just fine."

Yahiko rolled his eyes. "That's debateable…"

"What's that?"

Yahiko opened his mouth to retort but was promptly clocked by Kushina round the head. "I'm sorry Jiraiya sensei, Yahiko just doesn't know when to keep his big yap shut. Please, don't mind us, continue." She flashed Yahiko a dirty look.

"Ahem, as I was saying… Those TWO of you that can get a bell, will be allowed to eat lunch. The one who fails, will go without as punished. Oh, and he or she will be tied to that post behind you."

"Keep in mind though, there's a way for two, one or even none of you to get the bells but for all to pass. Your goal is to impress me. And there is something very particular I'm looking for."

"Your time begins… now"

Within seconds, the three had armed themselves with kunai and shuriken. However, they avoided charging at their Sensei. They knew a high-level shinobi could demolish three genin like them without breaking a sweat. They slowly inched around, forming a circle around Jiraiya.

"Ganging up on me, hmm? Well, let's bring those numbers down a bit."

He shot forward, slamming his knee into Minato's stomach. "Minato!" cried Konan, as Minato doubled over, gasping. She began to run to his aid. Jiraiya took advantage of Nagato's momentary hesitation and chopped him in the chest, sending him flying back. He turned to Konan, who realised she was alone.

The bluehead snapped into action. She flung shuriken at him, which he easily deflected, and accelerated forward. Konan, having trained with him before, was ready for him, and she planted a chop right where her Sensei would appear…

Jiraiya saw it coming and managed to twist out of the way, grabbing her arm and judo-tossing her over his shoulder. Upside down in the air, Konan brought her legs up and rolled over his back, landing back to back with him, stabbing backward with the kunai in her hand. Jiraiya smiled and disappeared, leaving a surprised Konan staring straight in the eyes of a dumbfounded Yahiko. She turned and momentarily saw the red coat of her sensei before a hard knock to her temple sent her sprawling out on the grass.

Minato, managing to catch his breath, began to charge toward Jiraiya.

"Wait, Minato!" Nagato called out. He ran forward, grabbed Minato and pulled him somewhere into the forest, out of sight. Jiraiya smiled and looked at the dazed Konan, who was sitting up. He squatted down.

"Looks like they left you all alone."

He heard the rush of shuriken behind him and whipped around to deflect them, but when he turned back around, Konan had disappeared. He chuckled, and sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes.

"Hey, what're you doing! Don't sleep in the middle of the ground, you're making it too easy!' yelled out Yahiko.

"Relax, kid." Jiraiya replied lazily. "They've figured out what they have to do, but it'll be a while before they hatch some sort of plan. Why waste the energy trying to find them when they're the ones that need to find me? Besides, brute strength or stealth is not what this mission is about."

Kushina looked at him wide-eyed. "What is it about?"

Jiraiya opened his eyes and looked at Pinako. A grin unfurled on his face. "Why don't you ask your friend there. She's got it figured out."

"It's about tea.." she began to say.

"Shhh, not so loud! The trees have ears you know.. or at least, the scamps hidden in the trees."

Behind the cover of foliage, team 3 plotted. For an hour, they planned, and perfected their gameplan before they stepped out of hiding to face their teacher.

Jiraiya got to his feet. He smiled, and took a defensive, martial-artist stance. "Let's begin, shall we?"

Minato charged forward. Jiraiya whirled around to meet him, grabbing his arm and tossing him up into the air, preparing a volley kick, but he was snatched out of the air by Nagato. Jiraiya's momentum carried him through the kick, he sailed through the air and landed on his feet gracefully, before looking up to see Konan rushing him. He shoved a mighty punch into her stomach… and watched in disbelief as she separated into piles of paper. _She really is something else in origami._

His next challenge came in the form of multiple Minatos, ducking and weaving each other, trying to throw him off balance. Jiraiya's keen eyes quickly sought out the real Minato and attacked… but flew right through him. _Another clone._ He looked around now. He was surrounded by Nagatos. _More simple cloning jutsu._ Jiraiya smiled as the Nagatos ran through a series of handsigns, before realising in a panic, _Nagato can use Shadow clones!_

"Wind Style: Gale Wind!" cried the redheads, blowing a torrent of air from all directions. With nowhere to go, Jiraiya wrapped his mane of hair around him protectively, surviving the buffet of wind unharmed. He faintly heard the rustling of paper and was shocked to see: Konan's discarded paper! The wind had whipped it into a tornado and it was kept buoyed by the relentless wind, before a single Nagato stepped up from behind and blew it towards Jiraiya. He managed to jump out of the way, somersaulting in the air. Upside down, his eyes followed the tornado as he was surprised to see, it was rebounded by another Nagato, right back toward him! He swooped downward, but another Nagato had jumped up and blown it down toward Jiraiya. He was caught in a bizarre pinball game, surrounded by redheads with enormous chakra reserves, and he barely caught sight of a flash of blonde weaving throught the crowd right up to him…

*SLASH* Minato sliced the rope of one of the bells and managed to catch it, but as he continued to run Jiraiya caught his collar and hurled him into the tornado. Nagato was forced to let the tornado fall to avoid hurting his friend. Jiraiya was irate now, missing one bell. He rushed to the nearest Nagato, flinging him into another clone, before connecting his knee with a third. He grabbed a clone as three more charged him and deflected their attacks with his human shield before using one as a pole vault to kick the other two. He flipped the human polevault over his back and volley-kicked him. He stood facing the final clone, who was drawing in his breath for another wind jutsu.

"Wind Style: Gale.."

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Jiraiya weaved the handsigns and rocketed a fireball at Nagato, who was forced to abandon his jutsu and launch out of the way… right where Jiraiya stood waiting for him.

*CRASH* Jiraiya kneed him in the stomach and effortlessly tossed him onto Minato.

"Well now, that was quite a flurry! I'm impressed! You even managed to get a bell! Well, no matter, the great Jiraiya will not lose to a gang of squirts!" He struck a flamboyant pose. "I, the great Jiraiya, sage of the mountain toads and greatest ninja in the Hidden Leaf, will never be humbled by three little… three…" _Wait a minute… there's a shade of blue missing in this primary colour palette of hair…_

*snip* Jiraiya did not look down. He could not look down. That sounded too much like..

A bell jingled. He slowly turned to see a triumphant blue-haired, bright-eyed girl staring back at him. He had never been quite so shocked or annoyed at the sight of a woman before.

He looked back to the other two. Nagato was panting to catch his breath, but there was a rogueish smile on his face. Minato looked positively jubilant.

He turned back, slowly, and saw Konan smiling sweetly, her hand outstretched, proudly showing off the bell she had just won. Jiraiya sighed, and then he laughed. "Alright guys, you win."

He handed the three their lunches. Nagato looked at his in surprise. "But Sensei, I didn't get a bell."

Jiraiya smiled paternally down at him. "No, but thanks to you Konan and Minato got one. Without you, they might not have passed, and just the fact that you selflessly sacrificed your chance earns you a pass.

Looks like you three learned what I wanted to teach you. Teamwork is the most essential element in a ninja squad, more so than the actual mission itself. Jobe well done guys! Let's go home. We'll meet back here in a couple of days for our first real mission." He disappeared.

"WOO HOO!" Nagato turned and was instantly mobbed by his best friends. Yahiko and Kushina enveloped the battered and bruised team in a large group hug, while Pinako stood smilingly congratulating her friends. "Well done all of you..and especially you.. Nagato.." She said shyly. Nagato blushed. "Oh it was nothing.. I didn't get a bell after all.

"No but if it wasn't for you, your team might not have passed! So.. good job.." she shuffled her feet, looking down. Nagato smiled, and went to pat her shoulder. Pinako looked up. She quickly placed a kiss on his cheek, before turning on her heel and scurrying out of sight.

Nagato stood shocked, a hand on his cheek, watching her go. _The first kiss he'd ever gotten… Pinako was so cute._ Kushina, as warm and motherly as she was tomboyish and quick-tempered, had seen the whole exchange. She smiled and placed a hand on Nagato's shoulder. "She's definitely into you." Nagato simply kept smiling.

*THUD* The party was broken up by the arrival of another. A feminine but strong voice called out, "Alright, you little runts, break it up! Jiraiya's good but he's too soft, let me see m team! I'll really toughen you guys up!"

A blonde-haired, voluptuous (_to say the least. Wow, _thought Yahiko) woman walked over to them.

"Alright, who among you is team 5?"

"That's me!" Yahiko pointed a thumb at himself and gave a wink and a winning smile.

"And me!" not to be outdone, Kushina replied with equal enthusiasm.

"Well hello there. My name is Tsunade. Our training begins tomorrow. Good luck"


	4. Tsunade's Training

**Chapter 4: **

**Busty but Brutal: Tsunade's Training**

Jiraiya sat in his apartment, cross-legged on the floor. The back of his brush was in his mouth as he sat musing. In front of him lay his upcoming novel, unfinished. He was in the middle of a particularly juicy scene but couldn't quite get everything in order to make sense, and his goal was artful rather than smut. He was just putting his brush back to paper when he was startled by a tap at the window. He glanced up and the roguish grin he saw identified the visitor as Yahiko. Chuckling, he unfastened the window. Yahiko hopped down from the sill.

"Hey Sensei! Whatcha writing there?"

"Oh, ah, nothing,nothing, haha." Jiraiya waved his former student off with an awkward laugh. "You tell me, what brings you here?"

"Well, our team got appointed a Sensei. She seems pretty scary though."

Jiraiya was surprised by Yahiko's voice, its usual enthusiasm seeming somewhat dampened. "Oh? What's her name?"

"Well, she called herself Tsunade, and.." he stopped abruptly as Jiraiya let out a loud, bark-like laugh.

"TSUNADE IS YOUR TEACHER?!" he guffawed and laughed, unable to contain himself. "Oh, this is rich!"

"Yeah, what's so funny?" The boy frowned.

"Haha! A vixen if I ever saw one! Smoking hot, and a smoking temper to match! Trust me, kid, you do NOT want to be on Tsunade's bad side. She's got such monstrous strength if she ever punches you you'll be knocked into next week, never mind what she does in anger."

Yahiko's eyes widened. "Is she really that powerful?"

Jiraiya chuckled again. "Let me put it this way kid. There has been only one time that I have ever truly feared for my life. From that encounter, I suffered two cracked ribs, significant internal bleeding, a broken jaw and a concussion. That was because I got on Tsunade's bad side."

Yahiko gulped.

"I suppose that would have disheartened a lesser man from his research. But, well, I've never known when to give up."

"Sensei… you're a perv." Sniggered Yahiko.

"Whaaa? Where'd you get that idea?"

"Oh please, I've read your novel. Makeout Paradise right? "

"Hey, that's adult-rated! Where'd a punk like you get a hand on a copy anyway?"

"Oh not a copy, we got the original."

"We?"

"Yeah, me Nagato and Konan snuck a peek.." Jiraiya reddened. "..I've never seen Konan quite so mad and embarrassed before."

_Ah, she probably hates me! I'll have to go tomorrow and make it up to her._

Jiraiya looked out the window. The sun was setting. "It's getting late kid, you'd better run along home. Trust me, you do not want to be late or tired for a session with Tsunade."

"In a moment. First, I wanted to ask, Sensei. How do you know her?"

"Oh, well, we were in the same three-man squad together back when we were just young genin. Us and Orochimaru have always been a team."

"Orochimaru… Is he that snakelike dude who was with you when we first met you in the Rain?"

"Yeah, Tsunade had gone off to heal some another Leaf ninja squad- she's one of the best medical ninja around, so there was a big demand for her during the war. The three Legendary Sannin, they called us, after that war."

"The Sannin, huh? I've heard stories about them, I mean you, but I'd never picture Tsunade-sensei as one of them.."

"Haha, looks can be deceiving, kid! We were all taught by the Third Hokage, after all, and he's supposed to be one of the most powerful Shinobi this world has ever seen."

"Really?" Yahiko looked round in surprise. "Lord Third is that powerful?"

"You should have seen him in his prime, that guy was something else. He's grown older now, but he's still on a whole other level."

"Wow.. I'd never have guessed…" Yahiko trailed off. _Leaf Shinobi are a lot stronger than they seem at first glance._

"Well, I've answered all your questions, now scram! I need to get back to work, and you need to prepare for tomorrow."

"I guess you're right.." Jiraiya could tell by Yahiko's voice and the lack of his usual quip that the young genin was nervous.

"Oh, and Yahiko?"

Yahiko paused at the window and looked back.

"Good luck."

The next day, Yahiko met up with Kushina and Pinako, and en route to the training field told them of the whole conversation he'd had with Jiraiya the previous night.

"Wow, our Sensei is scary! I hope we don't piss her off.. We'd really be in trouble.." Kushina said.

"Is… Is Lord Third really that powerful?" Pinako asked in awe.

"Apparently. He's supposed to be on a whole other level, that's what Jiraiya-sensei said. And trust me, I've trained under Jiraiya-sensei, that guy is no pushover himself."

"Wow… I guess Tsunade must be really powerful. She'd have to be, if she was a war hero in the Second Ninja World War. She's a medical ninja, you say?" Kushina asked.

"Yeah, one of the best there is."

Tsunade was already waiting for them when they arrived at the field. She stood squarely in the middle of the field, hands on hips.

"'bout time you kids showed up! Let's get one thing straight shall we? I was trained under the toughest and harshest conditions and I will train you the same way. I asked for no quarter, and was given no quarter. You, too, shall be given no quarter. The Shinobi world is a dangerous place, where only the fittest and best conditioned ninja survive. I have no place on my team for weaklings."

"She's a real hardass, isn't she" muttered Kushina to Yahiko, who nodded with a smile. This did not go unnoticed by Tsunade.

"Oh, you think it's funny, do ya? Well, we'll see how wide that smirk is after your training is over. Now, before we get down to any actual training, theres generally a test to see the full extent of your abilities. I can train you from the ground up, but I wouldn't want to waste my time and energy. So, you're going to have a challenge. Follow me."

They began to walk. Yahiko wondered what she had in mind. Was it another bell test? Jiraiya had said that their sensei had taught them with the bell test, since she was on that team, she would have undergone it as well.

They ended up by the river. Tsunade pointed. "See that small island?"

Yahiko shielded his eyes from the sun and looked out over the water. "Yeah, we see it."

Tsunade reached into her pocket and drew a largue blue marble, roughly the size of Pinako's fist, her having the smallest hands on the team.

"Your mission is to retrieve this marble-" she drew back her hand and flung the marble-"from that island."

Team 5 stared, dumbfounded, mouths hanging open, as the marble sailed in a perfect arc, across the water, travelling a good 700 metres before landing somewhere on the island.

_That thing must weigh at least 5 or 10 kilograms.. I'd be lucky to throw it maybe 10 metres. I'd really hate to be hit by her, with all that strength._

And Yahiko could tell by the looks on Kushina and Pinako's faces, they were thinking the same.

"You can use this boat," Tsunade gestured to a small rowboat lying on the bank of the river, "to get to that island. You will have exactly 24 hours to retrieve that marble and bring it back here. Your time begins now. I will be here at exactly this time tomorrow to meet you. Don't be late."

"24 hours… what do we do for food an stuff?" Kushina asked. Tsunade smiled evilly. "It's an island full of wild animals. Hunt for food, scrounge some berries, do whatever. There's enough for you there that you won't go hungry, besides, you won't starve just by going a day without eating."

Yahiko's eyes bulged. "Speak for yourself! I'm a growing boy, I gotta eat."

Tsunade placed her hands on her hips and bent down to look him straight in the eye. "What'd I just say, pipsqueak? Find your food!"

"Its now 12 noon. If you three aren't back by three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, I will come down to rescue you myself. However, you should note that if that happens, you will automatically fail and be sent back to the Academy. If you're not dead, of course." She smiled cheerfully. Team 5 collectively gulped.

"Well, you better get started. Time's a-wastin' "

The three genin scrambled down the hill to the bank where the boat waited, rocking serenely. There was only one oar.

"Who's gonna row this thing?"

The girls looked at each other. And handed the oar to Yahiko.

"Hey, no fair!" he complained

"Oh please, you're the guy, grow a pair." Kushina retorted

Yahiko grumbled, before brightening. "I have an idea! Everybody, get in the boat."

They all clambered in the boat. Yahiko turned around, and faced the bank. "Here's a useful little technique I learned when I was studying under Jiraiya-sensei."

He weaved the handsigns.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!" He cried, and released a jet of water from his mouth. The water hit the bank and propelled the boat forward. He continued to perform the jutsu, only breaking for air, while the girls cheered him on. They reached the island in a matter of minutes; however, Yahiko had all but exhausted all of his chakra.

"Good job, Yahiko!" Pinako patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I gotta hand it to you, you did well. Now, all we have to do is find the marble and get the hell outta here!" Kushina exclaimed.

Yahiko merely nodded, trying to catch his breath.

The girls tied the boat to a pier while Yahiko lay on the sand, trying to recover as much of his chakra as he could. If the island was as dangerous as Tsunade said, he'd need every last ounce.

"All done!" Pinako called to Yahiko as they walked up where he lay.

Yahiko got to his feet. "Alright! Now lets get going!"

Pinako, the level-headed one out of the three, barely managed to stop the excitable Kushina and Yahiko before they scampered off. "Wait! First we should establish a camp, you know, as a sort of headquarters to return to. We don't know how long we'll be here, and if we get separated, we can just meet back here."

"Good idea!" Kushina and Yahiko said together, and they set about clearing a small space at the edge of the central forest. Yahiko marked a tree with a large PKY, one letter above the other. "This was a system we had with Jiraiya-sensei back in the Rain. When we're leaving, we'll put a vertical line, like so," he demonstrated by putting a vertical line next to the letter Y. "When one of us returns here, he or she can cross out the line next to the letter.. That way, the others will know if he or she is in danger and had to run in a hurry, or worse, was injured."

"Okay, good idea. Now the next thing we have to do is gather up some food. Its nearly lunchtime, and I know how much you like to eat, Yahiko." Pinako said. Yahiko's stomach growled in agreement. He rubbed the back of head sheepishly.

"Okay, well, me and Kushina will go look around to find some berries or hunt some animals. Pinako, try to catch some fish if you can, and get a fire going. Let's go, Kushina."

"Right!" Kushina snapped to attention.

Pinako called out to their backs, "Be careful!" But as she watched the flame-coloured hair walk away from her, she couldn't help but be reassured. No way would Yahiko let anything happen to them. He was very protective of his two teammates, almost like a big brother. Kushina and Yahiko both did not have real families, as Kushina was an only child whose parents had sent her to the Leaf from the Hidden Rice Paddy village due to danger to the family there. The Hidden Leaf and the Uzumaki clan had a good history of allegiance and so Kushina was welcomed into the village by the people. However, she was often teased by school bullies, and though she fought back tenaciously, sometimes even she was overwhelmed. She found a fast supporter in Yahiko, however, and their explosive personalities instantly clicked. They grew close, and Yahiko, Nagato and Konan all accepted Kushina as a part of their family, as a sister. Initially, Pinako had had a crush on Nagato in the Academy, but each time she tried to approach him, was scared off by Kushina or Yahiko's misadventures. Konan, however, always noticed her and was kind to her, and befriended her. When she was placed on Yahiko's team, Konan warned Yahiko to be nice to her, or else. While Pinako was shy with him at first, she too was won over by his charisma, and began to respect, admire, and love him like an older brother she did not have. While she now felt she had familial ties to the whole group, including Minato, Konan and Kushina, her feelings toward Nagato remained romantic. She looked up to the sky. Nagato had been so awesome yesterday. She wished he could be watching her now, she had really wanted to impress him as much as he had impressed her. Oh well.

Yahiko and Kushina jumped cautiously from tree to tree, keeping a keen eye out for the marble, or any wild animals. The marble was a deep blue, and so it would be tough to find once it had gotten dark. They had been searching for about an hour before they grew tired. They landed on the ground.

"My feet hurt." complained Kushina. "Let's just find some food and head back to camp."

Yahiko was about to agree, when he heard a rustle. His ears twitched. He drew his kunai and took a defensive stance. Kushina, although she had not heard, took the hint from him and did the same. There came another rustle, louder this time.

"What do you think that is?" murmured Yahiko to Kushina.

"Probably a wild animal," replied Kushina. Yahiko saw a bush move, and flung his kunai at it. In an instant a wild boar charged them, from a completely different direction. Kushina barely had enough time to jump onto Yahiko, pushing herself and him out of harm's way.

The boar turned to face them. It was a massive beast, as big as the genin were, with long tusks and a heavy body. It prepared to charge them once again.

"Look out!" called Kushina, as she drew her shuriken and flung it at the boar. Though some pierced its skin, it bellowed but was not slowed, and only seemed to grow angrier. Yahiko drew another kunai and took a step forward, but his foot caught in a vine and he tumbled forward. In any other situation, Kushina would have laughed at the klutz. But now, all she felt was fear. "Get up!" she cried, as Yahiko fought to untangle himself. The boar came charging in. Kushina jumped in front of Yahiko to shield him.

"No!" he cried, and shoved her roughly out of the way. He jumped sideways, but the vine became taut, and yanked him back with great force, so he fell to the ground. The kunai went spinning out of his hand. The boar was coming straight at him now. An idea formed in his head. He stood, wobbling. His ;leg was hurt from the harsh pull it had received. He stood and faced the boar.

"What are you doing, are you crazy!" Kushina cried, scrambling to her feet.

"Stay back! I have an idea!" Yahiko shouted. The boar charged.

At the last second Yahiko dived sideways. The line became taut again, and the boar tripped and fell, cracking its head against the tree behind. Kushina rushed up to it to check if it was dead. It was unconscious but still breathing. Remembering what she had been taught in class about vital organs, she quickly found its jugular vein and sliced it, killing it. She fell back and relaxed. She looked around for Yahiko, but when she saw him, her face drained of colour, and she felt ice in her stomach.

Yahiko lay on the ground, clutching his leg. He writhed around in agony, groaning. Kushina rushed up to himan cut the vine off his leg. It was then that she saw his mangled leg.

His knee bone was poking out from a position it wasn't supposed to be, and his leg was bent at an awkward angle.

"Are you okay?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

"My leg… " was all Yahiko could manage.

Pinako got the fright of her life when she saw Kushina walking toward her, Yahiko's arm over her shoulder, supporting him, tears sliding down her face. She rushed up to Yahiko and laid him down.

"What happened?"

Riddled with fright and worry, Kushina nonetheless managed to keep her voice relatively calm as she told Pinako the whole story. Pinako looked over Yahiko's leg.

"He's dislocated his knee." Yahiko was out like a light, whether he passed out from the pain or exhaustion was unclear. Kushina stood.

"The boar is still in forest and we need to eat. I'll go bring it back."

Pinako instantly stood. "No, you rest, I'll go."

Kushina firmly refused. "You haven't the strength to bring that thing back here. You just look after Yahiko." And she took off.

Pinako had got a fire going and had managed to catch a couple of fish, and now she sat by Yahiko's side, looking at him anxiously. His face looked very pale. Pinako hoped Kushina would be okay.

Finally Kushina emerged, huffing and puffing, dragging an enormous boar behind her. She was sweating and had real trouble, so Pinako ran to help her. They had only managed to drag the boar to Yahiko, when Pinako looked up to see Kushina gazing transfixed, eyes wide with terror, looking behind Pinako. Pinako turned.

A leopard was slinking toward them. It's intimidating eyes were fixed on the boar, its lean muscles rippled as it walked, padfooted, to where the three genin were. Emotionally drained and worried sick for Yahiko, Pinako began to burn with anger. She would let no more harm come to her team. Her eyes began to burn, before fading to a small ache, before subsiding. Something had changed. She could see clearly, more than she ever could before. Every detail, the tiniest movement, all were picked up by her eyes. She could see a blue aura emanating from the leopard. She could see the minutest detail, and her fast mind predicted the result, so that she could see the leopard's next step just before it took it. She raised her kunai. She felt no fear.

"Pinako… " Kushina said in a low voice. Pinako stepped forward.

The leopard charged.

In one fluid motion, Pinako turned and shoved Kushina out of the way. She whirled around, knowing exactly where the leopard would be, and side-stepped it easily. It leaped at her again, and she saw everything around her, working in her favour, and reacted faster than she would have believed. She fell onto her back, using her legs to kick the leopard around its stomach, propelling it upward and back, flipping it behind her. The leopard landed on its feet, and, roaring, raised its paws and attacked her. Swinging her legs around, Pinako flipped onto her knees, slipped through its paws and stabbed the side of its neck. The leopard roared in pain, as blood flowed. Pinako scrambled away from it, breathing heavily. The leopard stumbled around, kunai still lodged in its throat, before falling to the ground with a final thud.

Pinako stared. Kushina stared.

Yahiko snored.

At the loud snore, both girls looked at him worriedly, before the sound registered. They were so relieved, they burst out laughing. Kushina went up to Pinako to check if she was okay. She gasped when she looked at her.

"Pinako! Your… your eyes!"

"What about them?" Pinako asked, growing worried again.

"They're red! And they've got this black ring with this… sort of dot in it."

Pinako looked at her in puzzlement, before she understood. _The Sharingan. Could it be? Had she finally awakened it? _Her family had been waiting for her to awaken her Sharingan and unlock her true power. The kekkei genkai of the powerful Uchiha clan, whose blood ran through Pinako's veins, had never manifested itself before.

It was some hours later, when the sun had already set, that Yahiko awoke. The first thing he saw was the tree bark. Someone had crossed off the lines next to K and Y. So everybody was here. He tried to move, and pain shot through his leg, white-hot and raw. He cried out.

Pinako, who had been dozing near the nearly-extinct fire, awoke with a start. "Yahiko! Are you okay?"

"Yeah.. " he groaned, before remembering what had happened. He sat up with a shock. "Kushina! Is she okay?"

"I'm right here." Kushina replied, walking up from behind. She knelt down and hugged him. "Don't you dare ever scare me like that again, got it, knucklehead?" she threatened, but there was a smile on her lips.

Yahiko gave his signature mischievous grin. "We'll see."

Pinako felt her eyes grow wet again. In agony, but still smiling away, encouraging his sisters. Same old Yahiko. He was alright.

"Let's all try to get some sleep, okay? We have to get up tomorrow to find that marble."

Yahiko slept fitfully, repeatedly awakening at night in pain. However, unwilling to worry his sisters any more than he already had, he was careful not to make a sound, and had found a twig to bite down on, hard. When morning finally came, he had been up for a while. As Kushina began to rouse, he quickly spit the twig out of his mouth.

"Rise and shine, tomatohead! Wake Pinako up, we've got some hard work ahead."

"No need, I'm up." Pinako muttered sleepily, eyes closed.

Yahiko smiled brightly. "Great then!" He looked over at the fire. Last night's dinner, the wild boar roasted on a spit over the fire, lay half eaten on the spit. "Some breakfast and then…"

He had tried to get up. It was a bad move. The howl of pain came from him by instinct, before he could stop it. He instantly regretted it, as the girls pushed him down and looked at him, wide-eyed.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, alright? We need to get that marble.." He tried to get up again but was again pushed down. He looked up at them, his face etched with lines of defiance. "Look, we can't fail this mission. Not after Nagato's team succeeded.. I can't let you two go back to the Academy because of me. Nobody's going to fail because of me."

The girls stood resolutely. "Yahiko, we know how you feel, but there is no way in hell you'll ever be able to do anything on that leg." Kushina said.

Yahiko looked down. "I'm not useless, alright? I'm going to get that marble, and we are going to pass." His voice was low with anger.

"Please, Yahiko, think logically. There's no way we'll be able to do anything while we're worried about you. This doesn't make you weak or useless, you got hurt doing something noble." Pinako pleaded with him.

"Yeah.. you saved my life, remember? There ain't no shame in wearing a few battle scars to be proud of, but you've got your future to think about here. The last thing any of uswant is for you to get killed because of your injury." Kushina said.

"Let's go back to Tsunade-sensei.." Pinako said reassuringly.

"No! We are not going back empty-handed! And that's final!" Yahiko shouted.

A vein popped.

"Listen here, you little twerp! We're not asking your opinion. We'll drag you back to shore, even if I have to knock you out!" Kushina raised her fist threateningly.

Yahiko looked directly at her. "Do it, then. Because I'm not going there without that damn marble."

Kushina took a step toward him. Yahiko did not falter. She took another step. His eyes were hard. She took a final step. She was right on top of him.

She dropped her fist on his head. It bounced off weakly.

Yahiko was surprised. He knew Kushina could hit much harder than that. He looked up at her and was startled to see her eyes shining, brimming with tears.

"Please, Yahiko. There's no way you can continue like this, and we don't want to see you hurt any more. Please, just come back with us to Tsunade-sensei. She's a medic, she can heal you."

Yahiko looked at her. He sighed, softening. He raised his arms, and pulled himself up to one leg. He enveloped her in a hug.

"Alright."

Pinako and Kushina carried him to the boat. They untied the rope and clambered in, and pushed off. They each grabbed an oar. Yahiko raised an eyebrow.

"Damned if I'm going to let you two row! I'll get us to shore, I can at least do that much. Think of it as an apology for being the reason for failing you guys."

He propped himself up to a sitting postion. "Water Style: Raging Waves!"

On shore, Tsunade sat comfortably in a beach chair. She watched the boat making its way toward the village.

"I wonder if those brats managed to find the marble."

When they had arrived, one look told her that they had failed.

She stood with her hands on her hips. "Well? What's your excuse?"

"Tsunade-sensei, Yahiko got injured.. He couldn't continue. We had to bring him to shore. Please, could you heal him?"

Tsunade looked down at Yahiko condescendingly. "Pitiful. I gave you one simple task, and you couldn't follow through. Not only that, but you got one little injury and you came crying home to me. You don't have the stones to make it as shinobi. You're all just children."

Pinako and Kushina hung their heads in shame and anger. But Yahiko's rage, which had been bubbling, burst through.

"Where do you get off on calling us children, you hag! We're tougher than you could imagine, and I never ran home to you. Hell, I could get my ass up and swim back to the island to look for that marble, just to stick it to your smug face."

"Oh yeah?" Tsunade's smirk was infuriating. "Why dontcha then, tough guy?"

Yahiko gritted his teeth and looked away.

"Because… we asked him not to, Sensei." Pinako piped up

"Huh?" Tsunade asked.

"Yahiko's badly injured, he can't survive, let alone fight on that leg. He didn't wanna come back, the only reason he's here is because we dragged him here, got it? Yahiko's got the stones, hes got bigger stones than anyone, but you're too blind to see it. Don't you dare blame him. Blame us, if you really get off on it that much." Kushina said fiercely.

Tsunade inwardly smiled. _This kid's got a hell of a mouth on her. _

Yahiko was looking away in shame and disgust. Tsunade looked to each member of her rookie team. Her façade of anger crumbled away. She gave a wide grin.

"Congratulations! You all pass."

The three looked at her in shock.

"The mission is important, yes. But selfishness has no place on my team. You two abandoned the mission because you wanted to save your friend, and Yahiko, you agreed despite your better judgement because you didn't want to worry your team. That's true camaraderie, something that can never be taught. If you were missing that, well, then you wouldn't be on my team."

Team 5 looked at each other, dumbfounded. _They passed?_

Tsunade walked over to Yahiko and placed a hand on his knee. Her hand grew bright green for a moment, and then subsided. Yahiko felt no more pain.

"Hey, I'm healed! That's awesome! Howd you do that?"

Tsunade smiled. "Medical ninjutsu."

"Congratulations!" a female voice came. They looked around to see blue-haired Konan rushing up to them, Nagato calmly following suit. Konan grabbed Kushina and Yahiko around the necks in a tight hug, but Pinako had eyes for no one but Nagato.

She lit up as Nagato walked up to her. "Great job, Pinako. I overheard the whole thing. You really were excellent. I love how much you care."

"Really?" Pinako's eyes shone brightly.

"Yeah, no doubt. And since you gave me such a great gift when I passed, the least I could do is return the favour,"

Pinako could hardly believe her ears. "What?" she said dumbly.

Nagato laughed. He raised a hand to her face. He brushed her hair behind her ear. He held her chin, turned her face to one side, and kissed her on the cheek.

Pinako's heart began to race. Heat rose to her cheeks. She forgot all else, nothing else mattered, except now, this moment, Nagato up close to her, his soft lips on her cheek. A voice in her head was going "eeeeeeep!" Pinako had never felt so girly, but dammit, she had never felt so special. Nagato placed a hand on her head. "Don't forget that one, okay?"

She smiled up at him. "Never"


	5. Chuunin Exams (Prelude)

**Chapter 5:**

**The Chuunin Exams I: Prelude**

Two years had passed since the initiation tests of teams 3 and 5. Each squad had racked up an impressive resume, successfully completing numerous D-rank and even a few C-rank missions. They were established genin, and while none of them were regarded as "geniuses" they were certainly on the higher level of genin. Tsunade had just been married to her longtime boyfriend, Dan, and had relinquished her status as team leader temporarily. Jiraiya had quickly snapped up the team, and so captained a team of six rather than the usual three. Nagato and Pinako had gone out a few times, and both were becoming increasingly drawn to each other, and were only too delighted to be working together. Kushina, who had seen the results of her initiation test, as well as Tsunade's skill, had been taking extra tutelage under her Sensei, privately, learning her taijutsu techniques and medical ninjutsu. She had confided in Konan of her fears and worries that she had experienced when Yahiko dislocated his leg, and decided she would not let her friends or foster-siblings be hurt a minute longer than needed. Konan then joined her and trained under Tsunade. Meanwhile, Yahiko had found his niche when he first picked up a sword, and was learning kenjutsu, or swordsmanship, from the experienced and renowned Jonin and kenjutsu specialist Sakumo Hatake.

They now stood in the training field, all of them, Jiraiya before them, with folded arms. He began to speak.

"You've all been training very hard, you've shown dramatic growth and have become very talented genin. I now believe it's time for you to take it to the next level."

The upgraded team 3 stood in silence, waiting.

"As you might have learned in the Academy, there are four basic ninja levels. Shinobi are grouped into these classes according to their skill and reputation. It's not necessary to take exams to achieve a higher level, since it's based on your ability, however the exams are a good stage to showcase your skill and so are the best platform for you to be promoted. The four levels of Shinobi are genin, chuunin, jonin, and kage. To be clear, the five kage of the five great ninja states are all kage-level shinobi, however, not all kage-level shinobi become kage, they are merely eligible. Any questions?"

Minato, Konan, Nagato and Pinako all nodded at once, Kushina following suit soon after. Yahiko, with a confused look on his face, took a little longer.

"Now these four levels are further subdivided into ranks: like the ranking of missions, there is D-rank, C-rank, B-rank, A-rank, and S-rank of each level. For example, your Academy instructor is a B-ranked chuunin. Tsunade is an A-ranked jonin, along with Yahiko's other Sensei, Sakumo, and yours truly." He flashed a toothy grin.

Nagato raised his hand. "What about Orochimaru-sensei?"

Jiraiya's smile faltered a bit. "Well, he's a bit special… I mean you don't get called a 'once-in-a-generation genius' for nothing I guess. Well, he is currently B-ranked kage level."

Yahiko's mouth fell open. The others' faces mirrored his own awe.

"There are five kage in the Shinobi world: The Raikage, Mizukage, Tsuchikage, Kazekage and our very own Hokage. The current Raikage, the Third, is an A-ranked kage, the strongest in the Hidden Cloud's history. The 2nd Tsuchikage, Muu, is also an A-ranked kage due to his unique jutsu. The 2nd Mizukage is a B-ranked kage due to his genjutsu proficiency. The Third Kazekage, the strongest in the Hidden Sand's history, is a B-ranked kage. And of course, our very own Third Hokage, Hiruzen-sensei, is an S-rank kage, and one of the strongest ninja this world has ever seen. The only two Shinobi in history in his class were the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and rogue ninja Madara Uchiha, originally hailing from the Hidden Stone."

"Generally, genin and chuunin ranked B or higher are considered for chuunin and jonin, respectively. You all have successfully proven yourselves to be B-ranked genin.. actually, Minato has progressed through to an S-rank and Nagato to an A rank. So, I've decided to enter you all into the upcoming Chuunin Exams. Any of you who don't wish to participate, speak up now."

But as Jiraiya looked at the facesof his team, he saw the fire and the determination that had fuelled him when he was younger, and he knew there would be nobody who backed down. Sure enough: "Oh hell no!" Yahiko pumped his fist into the air."No way are we gonna back away from this! I'm going to show everyone in the village just what a loser like me can do!"

Minato, chuckling at his brother's enthusiasm, nodded. Konan and Nagato were, as always, supporting their leader. Even the shy Pinako gave a weak smile.

A large grin broke over Jiraiya's face. "Great then! Prepare yourselves. The exams begin in three days. Go to this building at 9am. I'll meet you guys there." He pointed to a building. "Ciao!" And he disappeared.

Team 6 sat around a table at the BBQ restaurant. Yahiko was psyched, he couldn't wait to show off his skills, and was boasting his new abilities to anyone who would listen. Minato, who had learned a new jutsu from Lord Third himself, was also talking excitedly, stealing quick glances at Kushina to see if she heard him. Kushina and Konan sat discussing their training, resolving to meet Tsunade and let her know. Nagato and Pinako sat relatively quiet at the end of the table, talking peacefully to each other.

"So, you ready to be a chuunin?" Nagato smiled down at her. Pinako looked nervous. "Well, um, I hope so. I do my best, but let's be honest, I'm nowhere near as good as you."

Nagato chuckled. "I'm not that good, to be honest."

Pinako looked at him. "Are you kidding? You hear Jiraiya-sensei, you got made an A-rank! That's higher than anybody in our year, except Minato. You're a very skilled genin, you definitely deserve to be chuunin."

Nagato looked down. "I don't know about that. Chuunin often get asked to lead squads.. I'm not much of a leader, I don't know if anyone would or should trusts.. I'nato. You' an A-rank! That'know. t Kushina to see if she heard him. Kushina and Kona their lives to me, I don't know if I'll be able to not let them down… Also, I don't think the people here accept me and that would just be worse as a chuunin, since I'd have to work with different ninja more often.. at least you guys know me and accept me."

Pinako was saddened to see Nagato's insecurity about himself. She truly believed he was a talented Shinobi and would go on to be one of the strongest and most valuable in the village. Sure, he had a lot of haters, but his calm demeanor and polite personality were slowly winning over more and more people. Pinako glanced at his hands, clasped in his lap. They were trembling. She reached over to him and took his hands in her own. Nagato looked up. She looked deep in his eyes, pressing his hand to her cheek. "Don't you feel bad about yourself! Out of all the other genin, you're the one I look up to the most."

"What about Yahiko?' he asked softly.

"Yahiko may be a great leader, but he's a hothead and he's way too volatile. Really, if he didn't have you or Konan, he'd be pretty lost. Besides.." she rubbed against his hand. "You're gentle, warm, kind and caring. You are truly a shinobi worth looking up to, and I… I really like you."

Ngato was surprised for a moment. Then he smiled. "Thank you, Pinako. That means a lot."

The days passed. The exams began. The teams were separated into two again and, for the first stage of their exam, had to complete an infiltration and retrieval mission, against Jonin, no less. Only four teams out of a total of 20 managed to make the cut. Teams 3 and 5 succeeded. Then it was on to the second stage: single combat.

The day's break they received between the stages gave them time to rest and recharge. Nagato sat alone on a bench. He was nervous for the next day, and sat looking into his hands, twiddling his thumbs.

"Yo Nagato! Quit looking so glum, man!" He glanced up to see Yahiko walking up to him, clutching a piece of paper. "I've got a copy of tomorrow's fight schedule."

Nagato looked down in dismay as he found out he'd be fighting Kushina! His disappointment must have shown on his face, or perhaps Yahiko just knew him better than anyone, because he said, "Don't worry. I've talked to Kushina. She isn't gonna hold back on you and you better not hold back on her."

"But I… she's my cousin.. no, she's like my sister. I don't want to fight her.. I don't want to hurt her."

Yahiko placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky, a blade of grass between his lips. "Figured you'd say that. So did Kushina. That's why she told me if she catches you pulling any punches, she'll get Tsunade-sensei to do a real number on you. She called it 'sexism' or something. Didn't really make sense to me."

Nagato looked down at the paper, and back at his friend. "How can you be so calm? You're fighting Minato."

Yahiko smiled. "That's exactly why I am calm. No, I'm not calm; I'm stoked! I've been raring to test my skills, and Minato's the perfect opponent. He's the strongest in our year, but I'll show that I'm better. That's what drives me forward. The absolute will to win."

He looked into his friend's red eyes. "Listen to me good, Nagato. You may not believe in you. But I believe in you. Konan believes in you. Kushina believes in you. And most of all Pinako believes in you. So have faith in us. I know you better than anyone, and I know for damn sure you deserve to be a B-class chuunin at least. Alls you have to do is go in there and show them who's boss."

Nagato couldn't help but be won over by his friend's stoic demeanour and motivational words. He chuckled. "I thought the boss was always you?"

"You know it, brotha!" he gave a rogueish grin. "But seriously, if you and I fought, you'd wallop me, hands down."

Nagato laughed. "Better watch out then. I'm only an A-rank; Minato here is an S-rank. You've got your hands full."

Yahiko merely shrugged. "I got some tricks up my sleeve."

Nagato smiled. "So does he."

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Author's note: Is anybody still reading the story anymore? Lol, well, I realise the writing's been getting worse, but that's why I'm hoping for some reviews to help me out. Or, you know, if you like the story, please comment. I'm getting increasingly antsy about whether you guys enjoy this or not.

Anyway, short chapter, but as mentioned in the title, it's a prelude to the next two chapters, which will be the two singles bouts mentioned in the story. I'm debating whether or not to put Konan's bout in, if anyone reviews or comments, please mention if you'd like to see it or not. Haven't decided on the opponent yet, so you can suggest one too. Anyway, first up is Nagato vs Kushina! Look forward to it!


	6. Uzumaki Faceoff!

**Chapter 6:**

**The Chuunin Exams II: Uzumaki Face-off!**

Nagato looked up at the sky. The battle stages of the exam were to be held in an open stadium, filled and packed with spectators. He sat in the stands now. In just a couple of hours he'd be fighting, down in that field. The Hokage had warned each contestant that any match could turn into a fight to the death, that that was the Shinobi way of life, and he encouraged them, should they ever find themselves in such a state, it was best to surrender and live to fight another day, than to succumb to the worst. The proctor was strictly forbidden from interfering in the fight unless either contender surrendered or was unable to compete further. Nagato, who had no intention of using deadly force, was aware that other aspiring chuunin would not be as merciful. Luckily, his fight was against Kushina. She wouldn't fight to kill him. Right?

For the moment he sat alone. As alone as he would find himself later on today. It was possible he would be forced to fight more than once, if the judges sought to further scrutinize his skill. His hands were clasped together. He looked around himself, unable to believe that in a few short hours this giant stadium would be full of screaming spectators. His keen eyes scanned the field, combing over every nook and cranny to familiarise himself with the terrain. It was a technique taught to them by Jiraiya-sensei, one which Yahiko, not surprisingly, often forgot. Their sensei would often say, "Ten seconds of meaningful observation of your surroundings could be the difference between life and death."

One by one the genin assembled in the locker room. Konan, punctual as always, arrived precisely on time, rarely ever late or early. She quickly made her way toward Nagato and sat next to him. Like her friend, she felt nervous, but she knew, at least in Nagato's case, she had nothing to worry about. Despite his insecurities, Nagato had heart and guts, the same gift bestowed on his cousin and opponent, Kushina. His quick, calculating mind and precision made him a force to be reckoned with. Kushina, however, had brute strength. Raw power could never be taught, although she had learned how to pack a real punch under Tsunade. Konan herself chose to specialise in control of chakra, and had great potential in medical ninjutsu. The fight would be something special.

Minato arrived, uncharacteristically late, accompanying Kushina. Konan suspected it was her fault he was late. Why had he waited for her then? Curious.

Pinako arrived, in her usual quiet manner, so it seemed as though she had appeared out of nowhere. She arrived behind Nagato and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek as she sat down to whisper words of encouragement to dispel his nerves.

Yahiko was the last to arrive. He sauntered in, confidence seemingly oozing out of every pore of his being. He slung a sword on his back and walked with an almost arrogant swagger which was new to Konan and Nagato. Of course, both Konan and Kushina were fully willing and able to knock him down a peg or two if his head ever swelled too much.

Some time later, a jounin appeared where the congregation of genin were gathered. "It's time." is all he said.

He led them out on to the open field. The crowd had gathered. The sun shone as the people roared and cheered. The jounin stood at attention as he faced the Hokage, seated in his high chair, along with the other judges, a group of Jounin and Leaf Village higher-ups. Yahiko spotted Jiraiya, who as expected was bored by all the formality.

The Hokage stood. "Welcome, all, to the final stages of Konoha's chuunin exams! These finals will be conducted in the form of a series of one-on-one battles between the genin, to test their stamina, skill, speed and intellect. After each battle, the judges and I will congregate to discuss the match, and analyse the participants. The final ruling will be read out after all the battles have been concluded. Good luck to all genin, and we hope you all enjoy the fights!"

Whispers erupted in the stadium. As usual, bets were placed on those favoured to win, and those to lose. Each fan clutched a program, containing the list of matches as well as background information on each candidate. Excitement was buzzing.

"Match #1! Kushina Uzumaki vs. Nagato Uzumaki! Will the genin pleases assemble here!"

The crowd cheered as Nagato descended the stairs from the viewing box to the field, Kushina by his side. Nagato stood on one side of the proctor, as Kushina stood facing him.

"I want this fight to be as clean as possible. However, each fight replicates real-world conditions, and so, there will be no stopping the match. In an effort to save as many lives as possible, the option of surrender is available to you. Do you both understand and wish to continue?"

Kushina nodded firmly, a determined smile playing on her lips. Nagato nodded as well, shakily though. As he looked into his cousin's eyes, his sister's eyes, he was unsure of himself. _I don't want to hurt her._

"Begin!"

Nagato did not immediately move. He took a deep calming breath, to steel himself. And then..

He stuck out his hand.

The crowd stared in puzzlement. The genin stared. Kushina stared at his hand, looking from the proctor to his hand. The proctor simply shrugged. Kushina looked into Nagato's eyes, and saw only sincerity and honesty. Slowly, she reached out and shook his hand. But as Nagato tried to let go, she yanked him closer to herself. Up close, she snarled "I don't want you throwing this fight just because I'm a girl, or because we're related or whatever. We maybe friends outside, but here, you're my enemy. Mark my words; I can and will step over your unconscious body to grab the title of chuunin." And she roughly shoved him backward. Shocked at her reaction, Nagato's determination rose. _I sure as hell don't want her to hurt me either._

Kushina pulled out a kunai. Nagato stood barehanded. He took a defensive, martial arts stance. The feeling-out process of the fight. He would conserve chakra and use taijutsu to delve her abilities.

Warily, she circled Nagato. He didn't move, only his eyes followed her movements. She charged. Nagato stood ready. As expected, she stabbed forward with the kunai. Nagato's hand easily slipped under hers and yanked it upward, using his other fist to aim a punch at her stomach. But to his surprise, Kushina rose with the momentum of the pull on her arm, light as air, turning over so she floated, for a half-second, upside down over him. She landed behind him, and he used his hands to defend, but the kick never came. Instead she flipped forward, creating distance between them. Nagato attacked. He aimed a barrage of punches, and she ducked and weaved, avoiding and catching his punches. Her footwork was exceptional, she would backtrack and then push forward, keeping him off balance. A fist flew over her shoulder, she grabbed it and twisted, flipping Nagato over and throwing him forward. Nagato flew a good few metres but managed to land on his feet, unsteadily. Kushina took advantage of his imbalance, charging behind him and aiming a punch at his head. He jumped into the air to avoid, but his eyes managed to catch sight of her other hand, reaching into her pouch. Fully aware of his surroundings, he landed neatly on the wall of the stadium, and ran along the length of it. Kushina's shuriken lodged themselves in places behind him, where he was only a second prior. Her eyes followed his movements, she continued to fling shuriken as she raced toward a point she knew he would eventually end up. Busy keeping his eye on the barrage of weaponry, Nagato was forced into the spot where she lay waiting.

WHAM! Kushina slammed her fist into the wall. Nagato, who saw her at the last second, had barely managed to launch himself off the wall. He landed gracefully behind her, as she removed her hand from the wall. _Dammit. Missed._

Nagato's mouth fell open. He gazed at the cracks running along the wall, and the depression caused by Kushina's punch. He marvelled at her strength. _If I take a direct hit from one of those I'm a goner._

Nagato's mind worked. He began to strategise. Kushina, knowing him as well as she did, knew what he was doing. She kept the pressure on him, pushing him, not letting him rest, and as much distance as he tried to keep, she covered, not letting up her attacks. A chakra fist flew at Nagato's stomach; he evaded, dropped to the floor spinning on his heel and launched a helicopter kick, kicking out Kushina's legs form under her. To his surprise, she landed on her hands, and, upside down, began to launch kicks at him, which he managed to deflect. Seeing her opportunity, she pushed off from the ground, landed with her shine on Nagato's shoulders and spun around, lifting him off his feet and flipping him. Nagato twisted in midair and landed in a crouch, he backflipped backward, springboarding off his hands, avoiding a well-aimed kick. Kushina made a hand sign, and raced for him again. Her fist glowed green with chakra. Nagato backed up till his back was against the wall, he jumped as her fist shot forward, once again finding wall instead of Nagato. Lithely he landed on her arm, and kicked off, flipping over her head. She managed to pull out her fist, but had no time to dodge as Nagato's punch came flying at her..

He looked in Kushina's eyes. He pulled back his punch at the last second, freezing in place. Kushina took the opportunity to slap him, hard as she could, across the face.

A loud, resounding "OH!" ran through the stadium. Yahiko raised his hands to his head. Konan facepalmes.

Nagato, shocked, stumbled backward. Kushina came at him and shoved him harshly, much more roughly than she had at the start of the match. Nagato tumbled backward, pinwheeling his arms before landing on his butt.

Kushina's eyes glowed with anger. "Fight!" she shouted down at him. "Fight! Fight me, you little pussy! Come on!"

Nagato got to his feet. His palms were shaking, but his nervousness was gone. "You want a fight?" he asked in a low voice.

The tension came to head. Kushina launched another punch Nagato easily caught her hand. He pulled her hand down, aiming a kick which landed squarely under her jaw. She was launched into the air. Nagato ran through some handsigns. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two shadow clones jumped up in the air with her. They each grabbed an arm and prepared to slam her hard into the ground. The real Nagato jumped up as well, flipping around, bringing his heel crashing down to Kushina's midsection. Kushina, managing to become aware, pulled her arm free and twisted so the clone was slammed and pulverised by Nagato's kick. She landed in a heap and rolled away. She tasted blood. _His attacks are more damaging than before. I'll have to watch out. _

"Wind Style: Gale Wind!" and Kushina was forced to dive out of the way of the slash of wind. Nagato's knee stood waiting. CRASH!

He slammed a knee into her solar plexus, driving the breath out of her lungs. He began to strike various parts of her body, rapid, open-handed strikes, before spinning and landing a roundhouse kick to the side of her head. She flew sideways and tumbled, grimacing in pain. She opened her eyes in time to see two clones flying down from above, kunai in hand, aiming to stab dowm. She managed to force her body to evade, as Nagato came flying at her once again.

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

The open fisted strike landed on her midsection, before a large and powerful gust of wind emitting from his palm delivered a second blow, blasting her backward. She careened off through the air, bouncing off the ground and skidding as she crashed into the boundary wall. She clutched her bruised ribs in pain. _His attacks are getting more vicious. I've never seen this side of him before._

As she got to her knees, he was once again upon her. She managed to raise her hands in time to catch each of his fists, but in doing so was left open and defenceless as his knee came crashing up below her jaw, slamming her head up. He back handed her backward and once again she crashed into the wall. He pulled a kunai and pointed it at her face, scrunched up in pain. "Yield."

Her eyes opened, and to Nagato's surprise, she pulled his arm and spun around, disarming him, locking him into a perfect armlock. With her strength, it was no great task to wrench back, hard enough.

SNAP! Nagato shouted in pain as his arm broke. He managed to move his head as she stabbed with his kunai, slicing his cheek. He drove a knee into her bruised ribs, causing her to double over, giving himself enough time to retreat.

Kushina coughed blood into her fist. She looked up, panting, blood trailing from the corners of her mouth. Nagato stood, panting as well, bleeding profusely from his cheek, clutching his arm which hung useless and limp by his side. She struggled to her feet. She charged at him again, aiming haymakers at him. He was unable to block, but simply tried to dodge, until one finally caught him dead on the side of his fist. Bones cracked, as he was flung backward. Kushina grasped her hand in pain. She had been unable to summon enough chakra to her hand to cushion the blow and maximise strength. A punch with that much strength without her chakra "gloves" caused her to bruise or perhaps crack her knuckles. Nagato, shaking, rose to a sitting position. Unable to move his arm, he formed handsigns with his arm at his side.

"Sh-..Shadow Clone Jutsu" he said weakly.

He stood as several clones formed around him. Kushina's eyes widened as she panted. _He still has that much chakra?_

One by one the clones flew at her. She managed to jump aside, above, and around, dodging them. But as she kicked off from the back of one, looking behind her, her eyes widened in horror. They weren't attacking her at all. They were positioning themselves. She had seen this move before.

She landed, crouching on one knee. The final Nagato, the real one, stepped in to close the circle. Kushina slowly stood. She looked into his eyes, filled with pain but still hard with determination. He was in more pain than she was, she knew. It was amazing he hadn't passed out by the white hot pain that he was caused by his elbow snapping like that.

And it was then that Kushina learned of Nagato's true toughness, his underrated hardiness, and his impossibly high tolerance for pain. She realised she could not win. She was finished.

"Wind Style: Gale Palm." Came a small voice behind her. She turned her head in time to see a flash of red running up to her duck behind her.

SLAM! The Nagato slammed his good elbow into the small of her back, arching her like a bow. Here it came. She closed her eyes.

The tornado of wind blasted through and around her body. The vicious wind left several cuts on her arms and legs, ripping her clothes in places. She sank to her knees. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.

The clones disappeared. Nagato slowly walked up to where she lay. He fell to his knees, and looked down at her bloodied face.

"The winner is: Nagato Uzumaki!"

He barely heard the cheers and roars. He barely saw his frantic siblings rush to the two battle-weary warriors' aid. He barely saw the medical ninja march out carrying their stretchers. He managed to form a thought in his pain-riddled mind. _I won._

His lights dimmed, and he succumbed to his injury, collapsing unconscious beside his fallen sister.

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**A/N****: So what do you guys think? I got some nice reviews for my last chapter and I hope I get some more for this one. Really looking forward to hearing what you guys think.**

**Nuke Tremor, Umbra Gami, habdreas, konannagatoyahikolover… Thank you for all of your kind words. Really. It means a lot to me. If you hadn't reviewed I probably would have stopped writing this story. Which would be a shame because there's so much to write. Yahiko is supposed to be the main character but we haven't even gotten to his main part yet.**

**Nuke Tremor, it would be difficult to add the akatsuki members' backstories to this story since it wouldn't make much sense. However, I was planning on running a side story with this one, having 'fillers', extra stories, backgrounds etc. that aren't part of the main story but I want to write for the heck of it, for example, Yahiko's kenjutsu training, The Sannin's final test against the Third Hokage, and various other adventurous or fun stories. I can add it there if you'd like.**

**In case anyone is wondering, the Akatsuki will be featured in this story (how could it not?) but there will be a different main organisation of villains, having the same members (excluding Obito and Konan, including Kabuto and Orochimaru). The motives of the organisation will be different and the main protagonists' interactions with them will be different.**

**Chapters may take some time due to me having final exams. Next chapter is Minato vs Yahiko. Look forward to it!**


	7. Speed and Style

**Chapter 7:**

**The Chuunin Exams III: Speed and Style (The Battle Begins)**

Yahiko knelt in the grass next to his friends as the medical ninja rushed up to them. Konan knelt beside him. Minato placed a hand on his shoulder. They watched as the medical corps. raised the two battle-worn warriors onto stretchers and carried them out of there. Yahiko made a move to follow, but a teary-eyed Pinako restrained him. "Don't!"

Yahiko pulled his arm loose. "Why not?" he demanded forcefully. Pinako stepped back. Her nerves were frayed as they were, she was worried about Nagato and Kushina as well, and she was not a confrontational person. She hated fighting with her foster-siblings. Luckily, the level-headed Konan stepped up protectively to defend her.

"If you run off now, you forfeit your match, since your match is next."

"Yeah, but.." Yahiko bit his thumb indecisively. He was loath to abandon his friends, despite the circumstances. Konan stepped forward and said reassuringly, "There's not much you can do now. Don't worry, they're in excellent hands. If you'd like, I could even ask Tsunade-sensei to look after them personally, you know what an awesome medic she is."

"Yeah, she's the best there is! But she's not here, what can.." Yahiko trailed off as Konan smiled and nodded in the direction behind him. He turned to look at their blonde, pony-tailed Sensei looking down at them from the stands. She was carrying her newborn baby, and her rounded tummy left from her pregnancy showed clearly she was in bad shape as a ninja, but nonetheless Yahiko felt reassured to see her. Insightful as always, it was like she could tell what he was thinking as she smiled slightly, nodded, and got up and left. Yahiko breathed a sigh of relief.

"Look, mine and Pinako's matches aren't till the afternoon. We'll go with Tsunade-sensei to the hospital, okay? You two can finish up, and then catch up with us there, while we come back to the arena. Alright, Pinako?"

Pinako, who wanted badly to visit Nagato but didn't want to leave for fear of hurting Minato or Yahiko's feelings, jumped at the excuse, relieved, and nodded affirmatively. Yahiko sighed and smiled. "Okay, then."

"Good luck, you two! Try not to kill each other."

Minato laughed, and Yahiko said, "No promises."

As they watched their friends leave, Minato spoke. "I can't believe how awesome Nagato fought! I mean, he was like a man possessed. I never knew he was capable of hitting with such brutality."

Yahiko, knowing Nagato better than anyone in the world, even more so than Konan or Jiariya, answered, "This whole match was killing him inside. He dislikes fighting in general, and absolutely despises fighting his friends. It may have seen like that slap angered him, but it only made him realise that this was something he had to do. So he simply sucked it up, and withdrew into his hidden warrior. The warrior that shines through everytime he is in a situation where his friends' lives depend on him, such as in a mission."

"But then, why did he fight at all? If he hates it so much, why not give up?"

Yahiko smiled balefully and the ground, guilt now surfacing in his stomach. "Because, more than anything, when we came to this village, we decided we would not be dead weight. We don't want people to think of us as outsiders, or that we're simply absorbing and wasting the resources spent on us. We wanted respect and acknowledgement; or at least, I did. Konan and Nagato didn't see things the way I did, but they understood me. And they followed me. One does not garner respect as a lowly genin. Nagato was fighting to be a chuunin, to gain respect for himself from the people as well as to help me fulfill our goal." And as he spoke, Yahiko simultaneously thought, _I'm sorry, Nagato._

"Well, I've been fighting alongside him for a while now." Minato said thoughtfully. "He really has a ton of hidden potential. Our team is very well balanced. We have a reconnaissance and surveillance specialist, Konan with her efficiency with paper. We have a retrieval specialist, me with my speed and the new jutsu which Lord Hokage helped me learn and master. Then we have a combat and ninjutsu specialist, Nagato with his huge reserves of chakra. Nagato's role suits him well as it generally involves him being the cavalry, him hanging back to watch our backs in case something goes wrong, while me and Konan go on ahead to do the parts we specialise in. I guess I never really realised or considered what Nagato thought." He made a mental note to get to know his teammates' thought processes and feelings better in future.

"Next match! Minato vs Yahiko! Will the contestants please step down?"

The two combatants, already standing in the field, raised their hands and made their way over to the proctor. The hot crowd settled in and focused on the two friends-turned-opponents.

"A good, clean fight, okay? Try to show off your skills more instead of going for an early win, it'll help your rating with the judges and also it might avoid serious injury to your opponent, like we witnessed in the last match. Of course, remember, whatever you do, it has to be effective. All right, now. Ready?"

They faced each other. Each nodded. The proctor raised his hand. "Begin!"

Yahiko immediately handsprung backwards. Minato, who was about to charge him, stopped warily. Yahiko ran through some handseals. Minato's eyes widened.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!"

A torrent of water came rushing toward Minato, who sprang up, flipping over sideways and avoiding the waves. The spout crashed into the wall, leaving small cracks from impact. _Ninjutsu right off the bat? He's trying to finish this quickly._

No sooner had he finished the thought than another spout of water came barrelling at him. Minato jumped up and, chanelling his chakra flow to his feet, managed to land on top of the water. He ran along the waterspout like a bridge. Yahiko, who saw what he was doing, managed to terminate the jutsu and jump back to avoid the slash of kunai, receiving only a small cut on the nose. _Incredible chakra control…. Not only could he walk on the water, which is difficult itself, but he could run against such a powerful current?_

Yahiko reached to his sword's hilt and drew it from its scabbard, in time to parry Minato's incoming kunai attack. The two separated, then charged back at each other, slashing and parrying, before separating and colliding in another spot. The judges' keen eyes followed the two opponents as they bounced off each other around the arena. The Hokage, who already knew Minato was easily chuunin level, having helped him train, was more focused on the hot-blooded foreigner, Yahiko.

They separated once more. Yahiko's was beginning to breathe slightly heavy, and his technique could not match Minato's. Small cuts began to bleed from various parts of his body, where he had misstepped. Minato, by contrast, was unharmed and fit as a fiddle, eyes narrowed and focused. _He's quick, and he's got technique. I can't match him there. However, he only has one jutsu(I wish I knew what it was!), _thought Yahiko.

Yahiko flipped his sword around. He saw Minato's eyes follow the movements of the sword. With his free hand, he discreetly slipped into his pouch and hurled shuriken at Minato, whose eyes widened as he managed to knock them away. Yahiko, whose chakra was already loaded due to the handseals he made earlier, cried out "Water Style, Raging Waves!"

He used his jutsu as a wave now, using his chakra to balance on the head of the wave. He controlled the wave, directing himself at Minato. Minato could not jump to avoid the wave, but he was quick enough to sidestep it. Yahiko leaped off the wave just before it crashed into the wall, and he landed on the wall. It took him a split second to balance, but he ran up the wall and using a burst of chakra propelled himself away from it, leaving cracks from the force of chakra. He spit out more water, spinning around to make a kind of water cyclone, extending his sword out of the eye. He came at Minato from above, sword first, waves spreading out behind him, leaving very little room to dodge. However, Minato managed to use his kunai to knock the tunnelling sword just a little off course, twisting his body to avoid Yahiko as he brought his heel up from underneath and kicked him square in the jaw. Yahiko tumbled to the floor and the water crashed harmlessly down around Minato. Yahiko slowly got to his feet. _Can I really beat him? He leaves no opening, his poise is incredible. He's chuunin level for sure. I can't get any openings. Hmm. This will be tough._

He took a deep breath to calm himself. He got to his feet slowly, while Minato merely watched him, closely, guardedly. Deciding on a direct attack, Yahiko pulled his sword and attacked. He feinted a sword strike and dropped low to sweep Minato's feet, who managed to land on his hand and push off from the ground. Yahiko immediately followed into a slash to Minato's arm, but Minato managed to land on the thin sword and push off, flipping backward. He raised his kunai to deflect the stabs that came, grabbing both Yahiko's arms, leaping up and kicking him in the chest with both feet. He landed nimbly and swiftly followed through, landing punches and body blows on the winded Yahiko, before kicking him in the stomach. Yahiko flew backward and bounced off the ground, and Minato was on him in a flash. He kicked Yahiko up into the air, and jumped off to meet him. Yahiko, who managed to regain his sense in time to be aware of the situation, parried the second kick with his sword, wrapping his own legs around it and colliding his heel with the back of Minato's head. Minato flew downward, but managed to turn in the air and land on his feet. Yahiko likewise landed on his feet, before conjuring another wave which he rode toward Minato. This time, however, he leapt up well before collision, sailing upside down over Minato's head. Minato's eyes followed him as Yahiko used his jutsu again, landing at the head of another travelling water wave. He continued to use the jutsu to expand around, so Minato had no options to dodge, except upward. He then leapt off the second wave, directly above Minato, cutting off his last route of escape. He smiled _I've got you now._

Minato reached into his pouch. His hands found a kunai, which he flung into the air at Yahiko, who easily managed to avoid the attack. _Trying to throw me off course so he can escape?_

Then, to Yahiko's horror and mortification, there was a small yellow flash. And Minato was simply gone._ How did he-?_

A second yellow flash above him caught Yahiko's eye. As he turned to meet it, Minato's blue-sleeved elbow crash into his jaw, sending him tunnelling down right into the path of the waves, where Minato had been a second ago. Yahiko landed with a thud. As the waves converged on him, he looked up at Minato, who was now breathing heavily. _So that was his new jutsu._

The waves crashed down upon Yahiko, battering and buffeting his body around. When they finally dispelled, he lay bruised and hurting on the floor. He could not move fast enough to avoid Minato's knee. CRASH! Came the knee which Minato plunged into Yahiko's chest, cracking a rib. Yahiko lay wheezing, barely able to breathe, unable to stand. Minato fell to one knee, badly exhausted. The amount of chakra he needed for his new Flying Raijin jutsu was so great that he could only use it once, in a moment of desperation, as a trump card. The Hokage had shown him how to place a chakra seal on his kunai to teleport to it, and Kushina had helped him place it. He never imagined he'd have to use it here. Yahiko was truly a fighting opponent.

The proctor saw Yahiko was unable to stand, however, Yahiko still refused to give up. To avoid further injury, he opted for the customary count of ten. Finally, by the ten count, the determined but defeated Yahiko could not get to his feet, and Minato was proclaimed the winner by knockout. Minato, panting heavily, walked over to Yahiko. He placed an arm over his shoulder and helped him to his feet. Together they walked to the stands, Yahiko leaning on Minato and clutching his ribs, as the crowd erupted at the battle and the display of sportsmanship they had just witnessed. The Hokage, smoking his pipe, smiled and tipped his hat. These previous four combatants truly possessed the Will of Fire. The future of the village was in good hands.

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**The final chapter of the chuunin exams "saga". I got some new reviews, followers and favourites, and I wanted to give a heartfelt thanks to Lemons4 and QuoVerdis for reviewing, as well as konannagatoyahikolover. Seriously, you guys, it may not seem like much to review, but it truly means a lot to me, and gives me motivation to keep on writing.**

**As I was writing the last chapter I was literally hoping konannagatoyahiko wouldn't hate me for what I made Nagato do, lol. I explained further in this chapter, so you can rest assured, I'm not changing his noble character. I'm sorry for the relatively long break between chapters, but good news! I have a long break until my next final so I should be able to post at least a couple more chapters soon enough. Look forward to another one within the next few days. As always, I hope you keep enjoying reading! Look forward to the next chapter!**


	8. My Ninja Way

**Chapter 8:**

**Meet Sukina Senju: This Is My Ninja Way**

Kushina, Nagato, and Minato all passed the exams with flying colours due to their outstanding matches. Konan managed to have a hard-fought match as well, not as flashy as the boys' but strategic, and she picked up the victory. However, Pinako had been unable to control her Sharingan properly, and lost due to the depletion of chakra caused by inefficient use. As such, her skills were deemed not honed enough to justify her promotion to chuunin. Also, Minato had beaten Yahiko seemingly so easily that Yahiko had seemed weak, and also failed. Yahiko, however, had taken it in stride, accepting his loss at the hands of the genius Minato (now already a B-rank chuunin), resolving to work harder and pass the exams easily the next year. Determined as he was, he began to withdraw, spending more and more time on the training field, and less and less time with his friends and siblings. However, everytime anybody did see Yahiko, he was cheerful and friendly, happy with his progress. He would alternate his time between Jiraiya and Tsunade, as Tsunade's body was still recovering from her pregnancy and she now had a beautiful baby daughter to take care of, named Sukina. Yahiko didn't complain; two Sannin were better than one, after all, weren't they?

On his off days, Yahiko would practice his kenjutsu with Sakumo. Sakumo was a strict teacher, unforgiving of mistakes and very meticulous and thorough in his approach, however, he shared a lot of the same ideas and world views as Yahiko. He truly believed the life of a comrade was more important than fulfilling a mission, though such thought was considered taboo among Shinobi. Yahiko, who had grown up with only his friends to support him, and would die to protect them or any of his other new-found friends, agreed wholeheartedly.

Times were changing. There was a threat of war between the Village Hidden in the Mist and the Village Hidden in the Stone. This had begun when a serious battle had erupted between Shinobi from either village. This battle begun to snowball into major heat, leading the two Kage, Mizukage and Tsuchikage, to step into the fray themselves. In a vicious and hot clash, both Kage were killed. The Third Hokage, wise and pacifistic as ever, having lived through a Great Ninja War did not ever want to see such war break out again, and desperately sought to resolve the conflict. However, the elders in both villages rebuked him and rejected his advice, leaving him helpless to intervene without dragging the Leaf into the war.

Yahiko had learned a new jutsu from Jiraiya, a Fire-Style technique, as well as better chakra control from Tsunade. All three of his Senseis had affirmed that he was now chuunin level, D-rank at least, but for Yahiko that wasn't good enough. He wanted to be the best Shinobi he could be.

Konan, Nagato, Minato, Kushina and Pinako would often check in with Jiraiya to see how Yahiko was doing, as he barely even spoke to them anymore.

Jiraiya now sat on the roof of a tall building, facing the Hokage Monument. His brush was in his hand, as he wrote. This was his first non-ecchi novel. He wanted the hero to be strong, wise and noble. He had begun to be inspired a lot by Nagato and Yahiko in particular, whom he spent a lot of time in close quarters with. A lot of his main protagonist's lines were borrowed from one of them. Including his dream, which was shared by Jiraiya, Nagato and Yahiko: to end the world's cycle of hatred and to achieve peace and stability.

This was Jiraiya's favourite spot. The slanting roof of the hose shaded him when need be, though it was overcast today. There was always a cool breeze blowing, due to its height, and he was truly away from the noise and commotion. He also liked to gaze at the Monument, bearing the likenesses of the men who had built and shaped the Village: The First Hokage, who had physically created it; The Second Hokage, who had established its administration, infrastructure and set the foundations for pretty much all the establishments that ensured the safety and well-being of the citizens, including the hospital, police force, Hokage Mansion, as well as several systems in place in addition to organising the military force. Then there was the Third Hokage, who had carried them through the Second Great Ninja War with minimum casualties, and whose wisdom and compassion had helped provide several other conflicts. A man who had mastered or had knowledge of every jutsu in the Hidden Leaf, revered as The Professor due to his vast knowledge. Jiraiya smiled as he recalled the verbal fights and arguments he had gotten into with the old man.

They had never got along at first. It seemed to Jiraiya that from his three students, Hiruzen cared the least for Jiraiya. He constantly praised Orochimaru, and he was extremely fond of Tsunade, who also looked up to him as a fatherly figure. Determined to shame the old man for his lack of faith in him, Jiraiya used every trick in the book to try and outsmart, outfight or atleast impress Hiruzen. He began to lose heart as he watched them all fail. He then began to try to copy Orochimaru and Tsunade, but he was met with constant criticism. No matter how far he came, signing his Summoning contract, training under the Toads of Mt. Myoboku, his skills were never good enough to impress Hiruzen. Finally, having had enough, he exploded. He verbally assaulted his Sensei, tearing into him as he never had before. Hiruzen listened solemnly, without speaking a word. When Jiraiya's tirade finally subsided, Hiruzen had placed his arms around Jiraiya and embraced him. He smiled down upon his student, and told him the truth. He was not inferior to his teammates. Infact, Hiruzen identified most with Jiraiya, he thought he had the most potential, and so he had been hardest on him. He apolohised for being too harsh, admitting that he did not know when enough was enough or when he had crossed a line. Jiraiya's heart full, he had forgiven the old man. Since then Jiraiya had opened his eyes to his Sensei's full capabilities and wisdom, often seeking his advice on matters or discussing politics. Jiraiya slowly grew to admire the Third more than anyone he had ever met before. The icing on the cake came when Hiruzen was appointed the Third Hokage by Lord Second. Hiruzen had handpicked Jiraiya as his general, and invited him to lead the ANBU Black Ops directly under his control. Flattered and touched by the great amount of faith the Third had in him, he nonetheless declined in order to pursue other interests. Jiraiya always liked to enjoy his life to the fullest, spending a lot of his time and money on wine and women.

Sometime in the morning, somewhere below, a beautiful blonde-haired new mom slept. Her white-haired husband entered the room, dressed in full Shinobi gear. He kissed her on the forehead to wake her up, and sat down next to her. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking as she adjusted to the light. The first thing she saw was her husband's blue eyes, his face smiling down at her. She smiled and raised her head to kiss him good morning.

"Is Sukina alright? What's happened?" Tsunade's heart began to race as she remembered her baby was sleeping in her cot in the next room. She wasn't crying or anything, but why would Dan wake her unless she was in trouble?

Dan laughed. "It's alright sweetie, she's fine."

Tsunade immediately turned from frantic to grumpy. "Then why did you wake me?"

"Yahiko's here to see you. I think you should tell him now."

Tsunade blinked, her eyes wide. Now? She was uncertain. However, Dan's smile as he left for his mission reassured her. Oh well, now was as good a time as any.

Being very aware of his Sensei's temper in the mornings (he still smarted where he had been super-punched for irritating her recently), Yahiko had immediately begun to brew a pot of coffee. He had spent a lot of time at Tsunade's apartment, and was very comfortable and familiar with the place.

Jiraiya lay passed out on the couch. Or at least, he was supposed to be on the couch, but he had rolled over and fallen onto the floor. He had woken up long enough to register a dull pain in his backside, before dropping off to sleep again. He would often crash on Tsunade's couch after a night of heavy drinking. Sure enough, when Yahiko had helped him back to the couch, he gave off a distinct odour of alcohol and cheap perfume.

Tsunade ambled in, wearing a robe and bedroom slippers. She made a beeline for the pot of coffee, only acknowledging Yahiko's presence with a small nod. She quickly poured herself a mug and added milk, drinking it like someone finding an oasis in the desrt.

CRASH! Jiraiya had knocked over a vase lying on the table beside the couch. The crash was not loud enough to rouse him completely out of his slumber; however, his ninja senses picked up that it was morning time and a certain blonde demon stood in the kitchen. If she had not had her coffee, he was not safe. In a flash he was awake, on his knees, apologising to Tsunade. Yahiko sweatdropped and only laughed at his Sensei's clumsiness as Tsunade wordlessly handed Jiraiya a broom and pan.

Lately, both Tsunade and Jiraiya had begun to tell Yahiko of the "nindo" or "ninja way". Their own Sensei had encouraged them to find one, however, Sakumo had said many ninja went their whole lives without establishing a nindo. It was a creed a Shinobi created for himself, and adhered to throughout his life. The Third, and thus Jiraiya and Tsunade, were big believers in the sanctity of the Ninja Way, and believed once a shinobi had chosen his Way there was no changing it. Yahiko began to see the importance of one, however he had not created one as of yet, for fear of choosing the wrong one. He was not pressured, because both Sannin knew that when he found his Ninja Way, he would have no doubt, and it was something you had to discover on your own. It was this ninja way that the three Leaf Shinobi sat discussing around the kitchen table.

In all the morning's ruckus, little Sukina had been awakened and now began to cry in her cot. Tsunade got up to comfort her, leaving the half-asleep Jiraiya randomly dozing, his head on the table. Yahiko was about to dig into his breakfast, a couple of fried eggs and a stack of pancakes, as well as a mug of coffee, lay in front of him. Just as he finished eating and was saying his thanks, Tsunade walked in carrying Sukina.

"She's well-fed and wide awake. Wanna hold her? Now would be your best chance."

Yahiko had always found her adorable, and he doted on his Sensei's daughter. He loved her big blue eyes and mess of blonde hair, her soft, smooth cheeks, her tinkly voice as she babbled, he even loved the way she gurgled in laughter when he made funny faces at her. But he had never held her before. Nervously, tentatively, he took her into his arms, holding on tightly, scared to death that he might drop her. Sukina merely stared in curiousity, raising her hand to touch his nose, oblivious to his discomfort. Tsunade, however, was very aware, and laughed at his fumblings. "Haha, aww, she likes you!"

Jiraiya was also awake enough to enjoy the heartwarming scene in front of him. Tsunade watched as Yahiko looked down at her, as Sukina's Uncle Jiraiya tickled her and made funny faces. Any doubts she had about her choice were erased.

"Yahiko," she said softly. Yahiko looked up. "Yeah?"

She looked him dead in the eye, and he was disconcerted by her stare.

"You've played with Sukina a lot, you've helped me a lot during this pregnancy and you've taken care of Sukina a lot when I've asked you to. There's nobody that cares as much for her, besides me and Dan, than you. So I wanted to ask you." She paused. Yahiko waited anxiously.

"Will you… be Sukina's godfather?"

Jiraiya choked on the water he was drinking. Tears streaming down his face as he choked and coughed, he stared wild-eyed at the starstruck Yahiko. Dumbfounded, Yahiko looked down at baby Sukina Senju, and suddenly she seemed so much more precious and fragile. His heart grew tender. There was nobody who cared for this baby than him, he knew that was true. "…Alright. It would be an honour for me."

Delighted, Tsunade swooped up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Yahiko! Now, I gotta give this little critter a bath. Just lock the door before you leave, alright?"

Yahiko looked at his new goddaughter as Tsunade walked away. Sukina looked at him with her big blue eyes, innocent and darling. It was then that it hit him. Yahiko knew what he had to do. _To protect the ones I love, my friends, my family, no matter what happens to me, to keep them safe. That is my Ninja Way._

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**Well, another chapter for the book! This one came pretty quick, to be honest, even I didn't expect I'd be hitting the keyboard this soon. It just kinda happened. It's a pretty slow chapter compared to the more action-packed previous chapters, but hey, a story's gotta be told, right?**

**As always, thank you all for reading, and please leave reviews if you enjoy it. It really makes my day. For the record, "Sukina" means "Fond" in Japanese. Don't know why I picked it, but it seemed like a cute girl's name and sounded good, so here it is. :P**

**Hope you all liked the chapter. Look forward to the next one!**


	9. Then, Now, Forever

**Chapter 9:**

**Then, Now, Forever**

A few years passed. The group of friends matured into fine adults, and fine Shinobi. Nagato and Minato, whose abilities stood out from those of their friends as well as from their village's other Shinobi's, were now B-ranked and A-ranked jounin, respectively. Then, suddenly, out of the blue, as it seemed to Yahiko, Nagato proposed to Pinako. In a rush of jubilance, Pinako tearfully accepted.

Months passed. The wedding approached. To nobody's surprise, Kushina and Konan were chosen as bridesmaid and maid of honour, while Minato and Yahiko were chosen as groomsman and best man. Yahiko had thrown Nagato an awesome bachelor party, inviting many of their colleagues and friends from around the village. Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka and Hiashi Hyuuga, all higher chuunin or lower jounin like them, were all invited to the wedding, including the two Sannin sensei of theirs, and Yahiko's kenjutsu sensei Sakumo. In a wild night that only the straight-laced Nagato and Minato remembered clearly, Choza ended up smashing a bar with his Partial Expansion Jutsu, Shikaku won a game of cards (by counting cards, thanks to his genius mind) and won a date with a beautiful woman, and Yahiko left early, accompanied by two other women who turned out to be strippers. Nagato, who on his way home had dropped in to check on Yahiko, found him passed out, half-naked, handcuffed to his bed, while the two women were in the process of stealing all his valuables. To teach his brother a lesson, Nagato simply let them.

Kushina, Konan and Pinako grew more and more agitated as the wedding grew nearer, burdened with the stress of planning the wedding. Thanks to the raucous atmosphere and the tension surrounding the three girls (as well as Kushina, who was always quick-tempered), led the three men to decide simply to avoid them until after the ceremony.

"There!" Konan finished, and as she stepped back to admire her handiwork, her heart filled with pride and accomplishment. Pinako stood before her, in a beautiful white dress which the artistic Konan had designed and painstakingly stitched herself. Kushina, who just walked into the room, was amazed.

"Wow, Pinako, you look great! Nagato sure is a lucky dude! Nice job, Konan!"

Konan's face flushed with pride, and she curtsied a thank-you.

Meanwhile Nagato walked home alone, his wedding suit slung over his shoulder, nervous about the upcoming wedding. Would Pinako really love someone like him for ever? Was he worth it? Would she be angry that he hadn't helped out with the wedding? What would happen to her if he were killed on a mission? The thoughts swirled around in the redhead's mind.

"Yo, Nagato!" Yahiko, laid-back as ever, despite being several thousand yen poorer, walked up to the groom-to-be, hands behind his head. "You seem down, man. What's up?"

He listened to Nagato's problems, solemn at first, before being overcome by chuckles. Nagato, who managed to ignore him long enough to finish, finally exploded "WHAT?"

"If those are all your problems, man, you got an easy life. Don't worry about it, willya? You're a catch, any girl in their right mind could see that. Not only are you all gentle and caring and romantic, you're also extremely powerful. You can protect your family. And hey, on missions, you aren't alone. I got your back, remember? That'll never change."

Nagato nodded, head still down. Yahiko frowned. "Aw, come on, stop moping! Tell you what; let's spar. That'll get your mind off of it."

Nagato's face flashed annoyance for a brief second: everything was always about training with Yahiko, before he sighed and accepted his friend was right. As it stood, a hard-fought bout _would _take his mind off things.

The night before the wedding. The three girls had been living together for about a week now, since they spent all day there anyway and were often too exhausted to go home, so they just crashed at Pinako's apartment. After another day's hard work, what would be the last, they knew, Kushina lay spread out on a mattress on the floor, sleeping soundly. Pinako, however, couldn't sleep. Thoughts of her big day swirled around in her head as they had in Nagato's, creating a feeling of anxiety in her stomach which made sleep impossible. She decided some fresh air might do her good, and stepped out on to the balcony, dressed in her white nightgown.

"Hey girl." Pinako looked around as Konan slid the balcony door shut behind her, silently as a cat. "Nervous about tomorrow?"

Pinako gave a small smile in reply. Konan put a comforting arm around her sister. "Don't you worry about a thing. All you have to do tomorrow, is show up, looking sexy as hell in your dress, and just wow the most amazing man that you have ever met. And trust me; I know Nagato. He will be wow-ed into next week."

"Are you sure about that?" Pinako said in a small voice. "Nagato has done so much for me over the years. He's been the most amazing and sweetest boyfriend a girl could ever ask for, he's always so protective of me, which I love because I often feel I need protecting, and he's always there for me, on missions, or when I'm having problems, or whatever. All I want to do is just see him happy; but I want to be the one to _make _him happy. I don't just want him to have a good life, I want to be the one who gives him a life he deserves. "

"Sounds like you just wrote your vows. Straight out of an old soap, I have to say" Konan laughed. Pinako looked embarrassed. "Aw, don't worry, I'm kidding. I can understand how you feel."

Pinako looked at her slyly. "Oh? Can you? Felt that way for somebody else, hmm?"

"Whaaaa?" Konan was surprised at how fast the conversation had rounded on her. She blushed. "That's not… you can't… I haven't…"

Pinako teasingly ruffled her hair, talking to her in the manner of a mother talking to her young daughter with her first crush. "My poor dear, Konan, can't even say his name out loud?"

Konan blushed furiously, pouting. "That's not important."

Pinako gave her a puppy-dog look. And NOBODY could resist Pinako's puppy-dog look. Those sweet, innocent eyes just made Konan wanna pick her up and rub her against her cheek and apologise profusely for ever hurting the poor darling.

"Please? You're my maid of honour.. You HAVE to tell me this stuff. You're my best friend! I've always admired you, and looked up to you like a big sister, and respected you.."

Konan rolled her eyes at Pinako's obvious sucking-up, but felt compelled nonetheless.

"Al..Alright. But you can't tell anyone, okay?"

"What're we, in highschool?" Pinako laughed. "Come on! We're chuunin! We risk our lives on a daily basis, yet you're scared of telling me, your comrade, who's known since childhood, who you like?"

Konan gave her a deadpan look which reminded her she was scared of getting married, effectively shutting her up. However, the colour in her cheeks continued to rise. She mumbled a name.

"What was that?"

Konan blushed even more furiously, turning away because she just couldn't _look _at Pinako. "Yahiko." She said softly.

Pinako had not expected her most admired brother to be the answer, but now that she had heard his name, wondered why she hadn't seen it coming. Not only were the two basically made for each other, Konan would still get nervous around Yahiko, and was absolutely terrified of being alone with him. Pinako found it incredible that Konan, who was incredibly sensible and mature and motherly, who often looked after and advised Pinako and Kushina like a fond older sister, could be so childish and girlish around Yahiko. Without a word, Pinako looked at her friend, who was pointedly looking away. She smiled, and hugged her close.

It was a beautiful ceremony. Nagato, whose pale skin stood out in his black tuxedo, looked dapper and solemn, while his new wife looked elegant and beautiful. The two exchanged vows, and kissed as they were declared husband and wife, causing a flutter of paper doves (courtesy of Konan) to fly around behind them, framing a wonderful picture that would last in everyone's memory. The party picked up at the reception, and the dancefloor was lively, the drinks were flowing, the food was devoured. Yahiko, especially, seemed to be having a little too much fun, and was basically the life of the the party, was already tipsy, calling out to random people, cracking jokes for the benefit of the people around him, occasionally grabbing the microphone and belting out lyrics to all kinds of songs. Kushina, whose skills with a harp were a talent she had hidden until now ("My mom forced me to learn, okay? Now shut up about it!" she blushed angrily as Yahiko teased her mercilessly), serenaded the two lovebirds as they danced for the first time together as man and wife. Minato, who had been appointed designated driver since Yahiko and Jiraiya were sure to be too out of it at the end of the night, chatted with Shikaku, discussing strategy, deciding when to hold their next shogi tournament. Tsunade sat with baby Sukina, watching the ceremony in fond nostalgia, before Yahiko came over, and grabbed his goddaughter, carrying her over to meet all his friends, before performing a solo waltz with the blonde baby in his arms, gurgling happily. Nagato and Pinako were having fun, almost hoping midnight did not come. Yahiko and Minato had arranged for some fireworks to blow off at midnight, when Nagato and Pinako would leave for their specially set up honeymoon suite, before setting off for a beautiful honeymoon at the serene and scenic Land of Rice Paddies.

Konan stood on the quiet balcony, staring up at the starry night sky. The crescent moon shone down on her, and she could not keep a straight face. What a romantic night. The two newly-weds could really never ask for a better setting. Behind her, inside, the party raged on, going strong.

She was surprised to hear the balcony door slide open behind her, and even more surprised to see Yahiko stumbling out. Her heart was instantly aflutter, but she calmed herself. "What's up, Yahiko?"

Yhiko said nothing, only stumbling over to the balcony where she stood. He was looking at her in an odd way.

"How much have you had to drink tonight?" Konan looked at him accusingly.

Yahiko chuckled. "A little. Not enough that I'm not in full control of what I'm doing and thinking."

She looked at him curiously. "And what are you thinking?"

He looked up at the sky, his words mirroring her earlier thoughts. "What a romantic night."

He looked at her again, standing with her hands behind her back, polite and quiet. "On a night like this, love blossoms. Not just between newly-weds, but between those who are too afraid on another night."

He was being uncharacteristically mysterious and philosophical. Konan merely waited for him to continue.

"Do you remember how we met?" he asked suddenly.

Konan was surprised at the question. Yes, she remembered crystal clear.

She was stumbling around in the rain, lost, afraid, and miserable at the fate of her parents. She found some shelter in an alleyway and curled up, knees to her chest, crying herself to sleep. She awoke to find a boy poking her forehead. She looked at him with her big eyes, and he grinned down at her, offering her a loaf of bread. Ravenous, she grabbed it and wolfed it down.

He taught her to steal things as he did, only enough to survive, never in excess. He protected her when she got in trouble. He gave her shelter, food, and most importantly, comfort. It was then when she fell in love with him.

Yahiko looked up at the moon, as Konan was lost in her memories. "I remember thinking you were the most beautiful creature in the world." Konan's head jerked up. What?

"Up until I met you, I was a wreck. I had lost my parents, I had no one. I had to steal to feed myself, and I'd often get hit by the shopkeepers. People rejected the homeless little orphan. I was lost and miserable. Then I saw you, and I knew you were just like me. And I knew you needed someone like me."

Konan couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her fingers absent-mindedly began playing with the silver locket she always wore around her neck, out of habit. Yahiko noticed, and reached down and took the locket in his hands. He clicked it open. There was a picture of the three of them, the orphans of the Hidden Rain, and their fatherly Sensei, Jiraiya. He smiled fondly as her remembered when they had taken it.

"For the longest time, I've waited to give you this." She looked at him as he spoke. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage, hard and fast. Her legs shook.

"Close your eyes."

She closed her eyes, but merely seconds later, they were jolted open.

Yahiko's lips were pressed against her forehead. For a moment she stood, her mind completely wiped clean, her hands clasping her locket, pressed against his body, as his hand held her chin and his other hand at her back, pressing her against him. Then, like a curtain falling, she pushed him away. "No! You can't do this… Not while you're drunk.. You can't.."

She backed away from him. He was shocked at her rebuke, but his eyes softened, his lips curved into a gentle, warm smile. He pursued her. She backed away faster, but he was relentless.

"For the past ten years, each time you and I have had the opportunity to do this, you've always pushed me away. You've lied to yourself, and to me. You've protected yourself, and guarded yourself. Don't you see? That's all useless. Because…"

She was against the wall now. In a flash he was on top of her, his hand at the back of her head, other hand holding her chin, as he pressed his forehead against her. He smiled.

"Because your heart belongs to me. And mine belongs to you. You can run, you can hide, but no matter what you do, I'll always grab you and drag you back. It doesn't matter to me what you do."

Her eyes grew wide. She felt trapped, but oh, this is what she had wanted, what she had desired for so long! She simply melted to his touch, his authoritative hands, his gentle yet subtly compelling and commanding voice. He knew, as she blushed in the most adorable manner, he knew she was his.

"I will always love you. Then, now, forever."

Midnight struck. Fireworks exploded. The procession herded the newly-weds out of the building to where the limousine stood waiting. Ecstatic, the two embraced and shared a deep, intimate kiss. On the balcony above them, two others stood. Their lips met. It was as if their bodies melted, their souls connected and fused as one. Two great love stories, only just beginning to bud.

And Konan's mind simply rung with his words: "Then. Now. Forever."

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**Took me some time to put this chapter out there! A little mushy compared to the others, but I promised romance between Yahiko and Konan, and here it is! Expect the next chapter to be similarly romantic, so if it isn't your thing, I'd recommend you just skip it. It's my first time writing romance, so I don't know if I managed to capture the moments, but I hope you all enjoy reading. As always, please review.**

**On a side note, I've finally crossed 1,000 views on this story! As it stands, the stats read 1,055 views, with 15 reviews, 10 favourites and 13 followers! Maybe a modest following by this site's standards, but that is astounding for me. I'm so glad, thank you all. I'm also glad to see I'm getting more and more reads as each chapter is released. I can only hope this trend continues. Look forward to the next chapter! (credit to the WWE for ripping off their tagline :P also, I might as well add that I don't own Naruto or any works related. Apply this to all chapters, past and future.)**


	10. Blossoming Love

**Chapter 10:**

**Blossoming Love**

**A/N: This chapter contains some explicit scenes. It's nothing overly sexualised or dirty, and this will probably be the only chapter of its kind. Viewer discretion is advised.**

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Nagato and Pinako pulled away from their festivities in their limo. They were exhausted, yet elated at the same time. The two newly-weds could hardly keep their hands off each other, and even in the limo they cuddled as they drove to their honeymoon destination. Two of their hands intertwined, the other of Pinako's on Nagato's chest, the other of Nagato's in Pinako's hair. They closed their eyes and simply enjoyed each other's company, as Nagato began to hum softly and melodiously under his breath. Comforted by the sound, as well as her new husband's presence, Pinako could almost feel herself drift off to sleep. This, this pure bliss feeling of simply being together, this was the true reason the couple had gotten married. Each knew they wanted to be with the other, no matter what.

The ride lasted several hours. When they had finally arrived at their honeymoon inn, the limousine driver gently woke the slumbering, couple. They grabbed their luggage and headed inside, renting a room in the inn to share. Pinako lifted her bags to carry to their room, but Nagato stopped her with a smile. "Don't worry about it, I got his. Just go up and prepare the room for us."

When Nagato arrived some minutes later carrying all the bags, he was surprised to find the room empty. _She must just be outside, _he thought. Yawning, he took off his shirt to change into his nightclothes. It was late and it had been a long, albeit exciting and memorable, day. As he grabbed his nightshirt from inside his bag, he heard the door slide open. He turned around, and what he saw made his blood rush, his heart beat faster, and he gulped.

Before him stood Pinako. Except for her chuunin vest, one of Nagato's red long-sleeved shirts and her lace panties, she was completely naked. She emerged from the bathroom where she had hidden in wait for him, sashaying her hips seductively, striding toward him with a confidence she did not really feel.

Both Nagato and Pinako were straight-laced, both believed the first woman or man, in each case, you lay with should also be the last. Both had patiently waited for marriage. Nagato pulled her in closer, on hand on her lower back just above her butt, the other holding her chin as he kissed her deeply.

Both were incredibly nervous, and yet, both wanted this to happen more than anything. Both desired it with all their hearts, not just bodily with lust, but also mentally, they craved the intimacy. Nagato's mind was blank, all he thought was that he wanted to be inside her. He unzipped her vest as they kissed, pushing her down onto the futon they were to share. Pinako was nervous, she didn't know what to do, but Nagato seemed to move naturally. He seemed to know exactly where to touch, where to caress, the exact right places to press his lips or stroke with his warm, wet tongue. She had never felt pleasure like this, her whole body consumed with passion, flexibly bending and submitting to his every whim and movement. Her face grew flushed, her sensitivity heightened, her pleasure intensified until she reached her climax. Her throbbing loins hungered for him, with his incredibly gentle touch, his loving and tender embraces, she feared the pain of the first penetration, but at the same time, wanted to give herself to him, and she knew he was the right man to deflower her.

And indeed Nagato entered, minimising her pain as best he could, but finally, when his concentration broke and he looked up into her soft, usually dark eyes which glowed red now; she had activated her Sharingan by mistake due to the pain. But her face reflected no pain, simply love and carnal desire.

The same time, many kilometres away in a little village known as the Hidden Leaf, Yahiko and Konan enjoyed a similar night of passion. They were not, of course, married, but they had loved each other, knowingly and unknowingly, for much, much longer than Nagato and Pinako.

Konan, like Pinako, was a virgin, and had never felt a man's embrace. Yahiko, on the other hand, took after his former Sensei, and was no stranger to the body of a woman. His wild nights and casual romps meant he was no longer nervous to be with a woman, but Konan was so much different than his usual casual sex partner. No, with Konan he wanted the _intimacy_, not so much the pleasure.

Yahiko lay, shirtless, on top of the bluehead, who had been stripped down to her underwear. They kissed passionately, deeply. Yahiko was careful to move as slow as he could; he was in no hurry tonight. Unexpectedly, though, Konan broke his kiss and looked down, her hands on is chest, averting his gaze.

"What's wrong?" Yahiko asked softly.

Shyly, still averting her gaze, Konan admitted shed never been with a man before. Yahiko smiled. "Don't worry, I've been with plenty of women, I'll guide you through it."

Konan blushed furiously and looked at him, hurt and angry. She bit her top lip and puffed out her cheeks slightly. Yahiko immediately realised his mistake and, mentally kicking himself, apologised profusely for his insensitive comment. But he just found her face so damn adorable, he realised he did not regret his comment since he got to see her face like this.

He gave her a comforting kiss, a warm embrace, and told her if she didn't want to do this now, that was alright.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course! I don't mind if I have to wait a week, a month, or a year for you, no matter how long, you'll be worth the wait. No doubt." He kissed the top of her nose affectionately.

Konan rolled onto him, her head resting on his chest. She chewed her bottom lip. She was touched by his comment, and how sweet he was being, and she really loved him enough to want to give herself to him. In a soft, meek, say voice she said, "O.. okay… let's do it."

His blue eyes looked at her soft brown, face covered in worry, his voice gentle in order to not pressurise her. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Y..yes.. just please.. be gentle.."

He held her chin and brought her face close to his, tapping her forehead affectionately as he loved to. He placed his forehead to hers, still holding her chin, and any worries in Konan's mind melted as she looked into his firm eyes, and her lithe, soft body succumbed to his strong touch. She bit his shoulder hard as he entered her, but he did not cry out or gasp; he knew her pain was worse. He pulled out of her immediately, and waited for her to catch her breath from the shock, before slowly entering again. It was easier this time, and she did not feel much pain. The third time, pain was negligible. The fourth brought only pleasure, a pleasure greater than she had envisioned for such an act. Instantly she was hooked; she wanted more, more of this, more of _him._ She loved the feeling like he filled her up completely, it was a satisfaction unlike any other. In two different lands, the first act of pleasure and ultimate act of love was celebrated by two couples, as the night faded away into morningtime.

About a month later, Pinako and Nagato had returned from their honeymoon, looking fresh, revitalised, invigorated. They had both requested some time off from their duties as Shinobi, which the Third Hokage, moved by the romance and the love in the air, which he held so dear, happily obliged. Slowly their lives returned to their routine, and both began to accept missions again.

On break from his own missions, Yahiko lay in his favourite spot, on a small grassy hill at the edge of a forest, overlooking the flowing river. He used to come and nap here under a tree, or simply lie and watch the clouds, without a care in the word, lost in nature's peace and serenity. He believed nothing could be better. He was wrong.

Today he had a visitor. Konan sat cross-legged in the grass, her back against a tree. Yahiko's head lay in her lap, and she gently stroked and played with his hair, as she sang, sweetly and softly as a nightingale, to him, or they conversed, making random small talk, but just enjoying each other. Yahiko's heart was full. _Things certainly don't get better than this,_ he thought. Once again, however, he was wrong.

Konan's heart, already as full as Yahiko's, was bursting now. She sat calmly but in reality was excited, more than she would have believed. Her heart hammered almost painfully as she bent down to whisper in Yahiko's ear.

"I'm pregnant."

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**Finally got another chapter out! For some reason I've been procrastinating a lot so this took longer than expected, so I'm sorry. But I hopefully won't take so long for the next one.**

**I notice the posting of new reviews has slowed to a halt, which, I won't lie, kinda bums me out. :P I encourage you all to review, without trying to sound pompous or anything. I understand if you can't or don't want to, however.**

**There won't be much more romance in this story, and I'm definitely not planning to have another sex scene, so don't worry/sorry to disappoint.**

**Also, I wanted to mention, I will be writing another story, centred in this same world. It will be a romance story between Kakashi and Rin. If anybody is interested, please say so in your reviews. With the slow rate I get them, I figured I better ask now so I can have a definite answer by the time I'm done with this!**

**Next chapter will hopefully be out soon. Look forward to it!**


	11. The Dawn Of Something New

**Chapter 11:**

**The Dawn of Something New**

_*flashforward: 25 years from now*_

6-year-old Minami Uchiha sat on the floor of her grandfather's study. She had been looking at his vast collection of books and journals, an overflowing library containing folk wisdom, medical knowledge, creative entertainment, scientific advancements. As she had been pulling a large, pictured storybook from one of his shelves, a ringed binder had been dislodged from the shelf above. It fell and opened, and Sakura found herself looking at a scary-looking man with a killer gaze, bared teeth and a large sword over his shoulder. She had just picked up the book and had scrambled to return it to the shelf when her mother entered.

"Minami! Your grandfather's home, come help me set up the kitchen… What's that you've got there?" Sakura Uchiha, formerly Sakura Uzumaki, walked into the room, drying her hands of on her apron. She wore a simple home dress with a white apron, her bubblegum pink hair tied in a long ponytail. Sakura looked down at her daughter with her big green eyes. "Nothing, mommy. This book just fell down and I was putting it back."

Sakura took the book from her daughter's hands and studied the cover. It was an old bingo book, from some eight or nine years ago, containing intelligence on the most dangerous criminals of that time period. Nearly all the rogue ninja in this book had been caught or compromised. Sakura was proud to say her husband, parents, uncles and aunts had been instrumental in that endeavour… as well as the Fourth, Fifth, and the current Sixth Hokage.

Minami's Grandpa Nagato walked in, hair dishevelled, shrugging his unzipped flak jacket off his shoulders. He crossed past his daughter and granddaughter and collapsed in his favourite armchair, closed his eyes and rubbed them. Sakura slunk over to him and sat on the arm of his chair next to him. "Your granddaughter's been looking at an old bingo book. I can't believe you still have them lying around."

Minami's eyes grew wide with natural curiosity. "What's a bingo book?"

Nagato answered, "It's a book all about bad ninja, evil ninja, who want to hurt other people."

Minami shuddered. "That's horrible."

Sakura smiled. "Well, that's your daddy's job, and your grandpa's, to keep the people in this village safe from all those bad guys."

Minami came up to where Nagato sat. "Do you know any of these people?"

Nagato grimaced, "Sure, if you want more of a scary story."

Minami's ears remained tuned. Nagato looked into his granddaughter's puppy-dog eyes until finally, he cracked. He laughed. "Alright, alright, you little rascal, come up here."

He picked up his granddaughter, book and all, and put her in his lap. He browsed through the names of the rogue ninja, trying to find a story worth telling. Finally he came upon the names of the members of an organisation. An organisation that had once threatened the existence of not just Konoha, but the whole world. An organisation full of S-rank ninja with rivers of blood on their hands. He thought back of their very first action, seizing the attention of all major Shinobi nations.

"Five years ago, the Village known as the Village Hidden In The Rain.. which is where daddy was born… was a very different place than it is now. It was ruled by a ninja called Hanzo, who was so strong, even Grandpa Jiraiya couldn't beat him. It was a miserable and sad place, but it was strongly guarded and very well-protected. Then one day, they came.

They came like ghosts in the night, mysterious assassins of the highest class and rank. They came from the skies, the sea, under the ground, and by sieging the entrances. There were only nine of them, collectively facing an army of over a hundred well-trained Shinobi. They feared not, and they struck. By morning they had razed the land, and all traces of the village were destroyed. Not a single person was left by morning. And Hanzo lay dead in the ruins of what had once been his tower."

Minami's eyes were wide with fear. "They killed everybody?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Nagato looked at her. "No. There was one man among them, who wanted no meaningless bloodshed. The leader of the organisation was not among them, but this man gave the order that no man, woman or child should be so much as touched unless they fought for Hanzo, and even if they did, killing was strictly prohibited. This man was so powerful, even these fearless assassins didn't dare disobey him."

Minami mouthed the word 'Wow'. "What happened to them?"

Nagato, aware his darling little girl was scared now, cuddled her close. "Don't you worry, sweetie, they won't bother you, they're all dead now."

"All of them?"

"Except one."

"Who?"

Nagato smiled.

_*present__*_

Yahiko had grown. Everybody could notice it. Since his promotion to Jounin (the last to be promoted), he had adopted a businesslike demeanour when talking to those under him, however, around his old gang he was still the same old goofball he had always been. Nagato and Minato had been placed under the Third Hokage's direct command thanks to their incredible talents and prowess. Konan was a renowned medical ninja, almost on par with Tsunade herself. Kushina had married Minato and was currently pregnant with their first child.

If Yahiko had to pinpoint the moment he had decided to become something more than a joker and a lightheart, he would point to the moment his twin daughters were born. Pippi and Tsuri were angelic, bluehaired baby girls, just turning two this autumn. Yahiko had been so caught up with his peaceful life at Konoha, he had grown lazy and rusty. But when his girls were born, he had begun to train again. He was promoted to Jounin and worked harder than ever. He had begun an organisation, which he called the Akatsuki, with the purpose of protecting the helpless villages scattered throughout the country, and the world, when they were threatened. His ultimate goal was to one day return to his home country of the Hidden Rain, peacefully, and show his daughters the place where their parents hailed from.

Now he seldom spent a day free, he was always in his office, so Konan only saw him at nights when he was exhausted. But he always made time for his wife and kids, and made it clear to her, they came first in his life, over everything.

Minato, Nagato, Pinako, and Konan had all joined the Akatsuki, as well as over three dozen other ninja they had collected from the ransacked villages and trained, including those from Konoha sympathetic to their goal. His most trusted lieutenants, besides his siblings, were Kosuke the Swift, known for his speed, Jirolo Pameke, for his strength, and Hagame Sakamoto, for his undying loyalty. Yahiko's organisation had been officially authorised by the Third Hokage, and was independently requested for missions by outsiders, for a cost much cheaper than any Shinobi Village's. To prevent bankrupting them, however, the Akatsuki were only allowed a specific criteria of independent missions, namely SOS calls from non-ninja areas outside the Land of Fire. Although Yahiko avoided leaving the village as much as possible, his job as leader was a tough one.

But he always remained in high spirits, good terms with his friends, always making time for his family and siblings. It wasn't until his dear little girls turned six that he changed. And he was never the same again.

25 years later, Nagato sat and watched the dying embers in his fireplace. Minami and Sakura watched him with concern, but he was lost in his thought, red eyes reflected the orange flames. A shadow crossed his face as he recalled the events of that night, and the terrible burden his friend had carried.

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**Yeahhhh, so this chapter is nothing special. I'm having serious writer's block right now and I don't know how to write the following events compellingly. The next two chapters are pretty bloody and serious, so I hope I can kick it by then. Hope you guys enjoyed reading, and as always, enjoy and review **** Look forward to the next one!**


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